Hell's Embrace 2
by MrHaxorus
Summary: The second Installment of Hell's Embrace; set fifteen years after the original. Things are a lot different now; but not everything changes...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Here we go again...**

So... what now? I guess everything's looking incredibly downtrodden right? Pryce was killed, Latias was killed, we all got a complete mental beating, and ultimately, S.P.A.S got away, right? Well... things have actually been really quiet since that fateful day. S.P.A.S haven't been knocking at my door (or knocking it in, more to the point) and we haven't seen hide nor hair of them. After a week's worth of R&R, Lt. Surge designated a specialist squad of men to see if they could track down the group. A year later, and still no sign of them; it's as though they disappeared off the face of the planet... well, 'their' planet should I say.

As time went by, the three of us (Josh, David and I) decided that it was better to stay here; where the land was always green and people had ridiculously powerful pets. Our families understood the effect of the events that happened back when we were younger, how we managed to get by on our own initiative and effectively come out alive (at the cost of my front door, Josh's entire house, his neighbourhood and his toilet paper). Fortunately, for us, things didn't turn all 'E.T' and we set off into the night. We boarded Surge's helicopter in the local fields, said our goodbyes and made haste for the rift. We knew that the rip in between our 'world' and theirs probably wouldn't stay open forever, but... you never know.

Now, fifteen years have passed since we left England, left our friends and family and our old lives behind. Now we live in various regions across the world, working in jobs that we would have probably gone for back home, but there's one difference... things are a lot more fun when you have Pokémon with you. I guess you're wondering what's happened in all that time, right? Well...

When we arrived back in Vermillion city, we were greeted by the locals en masse, everyone wanting to shake our hands and give us things. To this day I still don't understand why, because we never exactly did anything spectacular, but Josh seems to think it's because of 'our outstanding bravery in the field' and because of 'our remarkable initiative'. Personally I think he's full of shit, but your opinion will probably differ.  
Anyway; when we managed to get past the crowd of onlookers, Surge led us to a briefing room at the far end of the military complex and sat us down, explaining the situation and what needs to happen on his part. For us, he suggested that we make ourselves comfortable here and to go see local breeders in the area. After all, we were all well over the regular starting age for being a trainer.

Now, being the dragon-type loving goon I was (and still am) I went with Josh and David to the various breeders across Kanto and questioned about the possibility in having a baby Axew to start off with. Apparently Surge had contacted each and every single one of them and told them our situation, but unfortunately we had... problems getting a starter since we all wanted ones that weren't native to the region. As time went on, we managed to find mediocre jobs around the region to get us going, eventually leading to us moving to various other regions, all in a short time span. Josh and David took the SS Anne to the Sinnoh, but went very different ways. Josh ended up in Jubilife city, working for the local T.V station, and lives in a very flash apartment in a block of high-rise flats, whilst David travelled to Snowpoint city, way up north, and lives in a comfortable log cabin, surrounded by large pine trees. He also managed to start his own local business that deals with anything electrical, which is a saviour to the locals. Both of them settled in extremely well with the neighbours, and both have good contacts. Josh is chummy with all the big names of the region, due to his working status as an actor now, and David... he's pretty friendly with Candice, the ice-type gym leader of Snowpoint. He gets access to the nearby temple where a massive statue of 'Regigigas' resides.

What about me, you ask? Well, I decided not to move anywhere. I remained in Vermillion, only leaving to see the others every once in a while. Buying a small detached house on the outskirts of the city, I joined the army as an officer. Surge welcomed me into the forces, stating that 'my initiative under pressure is outstanding', but it's something I've always wanted to do anyhow; I just had a better chance of getting a place here I suppose.

And our Pokémon? That's a rather strange story, really. Josh was given his first Pokémon when he started working in Jubilife; an Onix in fact. Unaware that his new Pokémon was actually recently born, despite being absurdly large, and had an awkward time keeping it under control. David's is actually rather nice, if I may say so. He was at the local coffee shop with Candice one day, when Maylene (the gym leader of Veilstone and a good friend of Candice's) joins them. Maylene then explains to David that Candice told her all about his situation and that she has a surprise for him; a Pokémon egg. Gratefully accepting the gift, he was delighted to find out that it actually contained a female Riolu, whom he named 'Aero'. As for me, Surge informed me that I would need a Pokémon if I was to be in the military, and (I quote) 'have a shockingly electric surprise for you, sonny!'.  
How I love Surge's puns.

Turns out, he contacted the Elite Four aaaaallll the way over in Unova for a favour, who in turn contacted the local Castelia day-care. Long story short, I had an egg that came all the way from the Unova region, and I had my Commanding Officer to thank for it. After about a week or so it hatched as I was surfing the web when I was back home. Turning around I discovered that it was exactly what I was hoping for; a baby Axew. Now normally one wouldn't expect a female to be in the armed forces, but that's exactly what my Axew was going to be. The only thing that took me back was when I held the little squealing dragon in my arms and rocked it till it fell asleep. I couldn't help but think about how its whole life was going to be dedicated to the military; it made me feel kind of... evil.

In the time we'd been here, I've had to move on from the events in Saffron City; but by no means can I say I'm over it. Occasionally I visit the place where everything happened, at least once a year, and lay flowers at the crash site (equally for Pryce as it is for Latias). Naturally, visiting the place still pains me; even after fifteen years on.  
To look at the crash site in itself is a strange feeling. The buildings had been repaired, the dead grass had re-grown and poppies have begun to grow where the fallen were. It's like nothing ever happened; but the locals know very differently.

After passing basic Officer's training, David suggested that the three of us meet up again, over at his house, as a kind of celebration. Having now trained up my Axew, alongside my squad, I think it's safe to say I could get there without a hitch.  
After a little coercing on my part, I managed to 'persuade' my Haxorus to come with me. According to her, sitting in a freezer for an hour for weather training is a completely different thing to 'having to jolly' around in the snow. Let's just say that it cost me a portion of my salary and a trip down to the nearby costume store...

After booking tickets for a plane to Sinnoh, we reserved a room in Jubilife City; a few miles from the airport itself. I was to meet up with Josh and his team; we'd go to David's from there.

******************

There was a rapid knocking at the front door, followed by a hoarse cough.

Grunting loudly, I rolled onto my side and grabbed the alarm clock next to the bed; pressing it to my nose and squinting at it. 6:14 am. Grunting again, I got up from bed and put my furry dressing gown on before looking through the spy hole.  
I was greeted by a young man with a short, stubby brown beard and curly brown hair.

"Jesus Christ..." I cussed, opening the door,

Standing at my door was Josh; suited and booted by the looks of things. He was wearing a thick woollen fleece, cargo pants, heavy-duty boots and what appeared to be a fisherman's vest filled to the brim with caffeinated drinks. Sleepily glancing down I noticed his Whimsicott sitting on his grey backpack.

"...early aren't you?" I asked, eyes straining to focus on him,

"Never too early Lucas, never too early!" he replied, entering the hallway.

Before I go on, I must stress, I don't see the point in paying for two single beds when one double bed costs half the price. Unfortunately for me; Josh had only changed in appearance, not personality...  
As we walked into the bedroom-come-living room-come-kitchen Josh saw my five Pokéballs lying on the chest-of-drawers, whilst my sixth was just waking up.

"Tell me you didn't sleep in there, Lucas. I thought Pokéfucking was behind you." Josh sniggered, making my Haxorus visibly embarrassed.

Sitting on the bed, sighing, I replied, "Just remember Josh; It's all fun and games until someone gets their throat slit."

He shut up after that.

Getting up and patting him on the back, I laughed and said, "Don't worry man! She wouldn't anyway; besides, a double bed was a steal compared to two separate ones. All we did was sleep; I assure you."

"You know I would have put you up for the night in a bed with... less blades." He said, as Haxorus scowled at him from behind the covers.

I just laughed at him and gestured for him to take a seat before getting ready in the bathroom.

A short while later saw me prepped and ready to go; kitted out in my military-grade gear, complete with sunglasses and shemagh.

"So... we ready to go yet Colonel Cockwipe?" Josh laughed,

"If you are Sergeant Stunfisk."

"You've not changed a bit..."

******************

After dropping the keys off at the reception, the four of us set off for Oreburgh City, and ultimately; the passage through Mt. Coronet.

Josh knew the way perfectly since he's filmed in these parts for various things in the past; we, however, had no idea where we were going. After all, it'd been so long since we'd seen each other in a long while.

Eventually reaching the murky interior of the mountain structure, the amount of confusion that we went through the first time we came here flooded back to me and my god was it horrible not knowing where you were in this massive chunk of pointy rock. I wish it was as 'easy' as it was on the DS...

As we scrambled over the wet rocks, trying to get to the snowy exit, I turned to Haxorus. She was digging her sharp claws into the stone to pull herself up, effectively making it incredibly easy to climb. Meanwhile Josh was struggling up ahead, his Whimsicott clinging to his head as he puffed away.

"Let's... let's take a...a break." Josh wheezed, collapsing on the floor, near a bunch of fallen rocks. Since the area we were in was quite literally a cavern, we both let our Pokémon out for some fresh air and a stretch.

Leaning against the craggy wall, I slid down it and rested for a while. Taking the chance to remove my glasses, I cocked my head towards the golden dragon that was staring at me and made a hand gesture to her. She approached me and gently sat between my legs, her tail slowly swaying from side to side as she leaned against me. Josh just eyed us suspiciously, before his recently evolved Steelix clattered into his Tyranitar, forcing him to get up before they started to fight amongst themselves.

"Heh heh, just ignore him Hax; at least I show affection, right?" I chuckled, rubbing my hand along her armoured neck.

She simply dipped her head and started making a throaty 'purr' sound, her tail starting to sway just a little faster...

******************

An hour or so passed after our break (and after a certain Steelix took a fire punch to the chin), and we managed to make it to the snow-laden route that led to Snowpoint City. David sure picked a place that matched his quiet, thoughtful personality.

"Should be about another hour before we get to David's house, right?" I shouted above the sound of the howling wind, trying to clean the snow off my shades.

"Just about... that's if I don't suddenly fuck up and go the wrong way."

"Thanks for the reassurance there, Josh, Jeez..."

The one problem with having Haxorus from an egg was the lack of a Pokéball. Whilst the rest of my team were snug in their capsules, poor Haxorus was out here having to brave the elements with me, unlike Josh who had a Pokéball for each of his.

"Feelin' the cold back there?" I called, hanging back a little

She was dawdling along in the snow, arms crossed, and shivering as she looked up at me. God I felt bad for her.  
Taking a deep sigh, i grabbed hold of her claw and held her next to me, in an attempt to share body heat for a while.

"Josh, I think we should find shelter, or at the very least hurry up... Haxorus doesn't look so good."

Josh nodded at me in confirmation. Removing my fleece, and giving it to Haxorus (who protested profusely, but I wouldn't have any of it) I tightened my shemagh. I was pretty glad I decided to wear two jumpers and a long sleeved t-shirt that day, I can tell you.

Keeping hold of her claw, we continued walking onwards into the flurry of snow (which, to our surprise, began to die down a little).

"Good job we're staying over for a while; I couldn't imagine travelling all this distance again tomorrow..." I sighed, Haxorus still shivering behind me.

******************

David was sitting comfortably in his armchair, as the roaring fire staved off the cold from outside. As he flicked through the pages of a new book he was reading (A Boy and His Rattata), a knock sounded at the front door.

"Wow... they left it a little late to get here, didn't they?" David thought, closing the book.  
Opening the front door for us, the snow and wind nearly bowling him over, he greeted us over a handshake. As he led us to the living room, he turned on the jukebox he had sitting in one of the corners; which began playing a revised version of 'Miror B's theme.

Josh just stared questioningly at David for a while, as the snow melted from his beard whilst me and Haxorus sat as close as we could to the fire, the icy winds having taken a toll on her. After all, training can only help you so much.

"So... get here alright then?" David chuckled, as he headed for the kitchen,

"Near enough; the snow was torrential though." Josh replied, rubbing his hands together,

David laughed, as he turned the kettle on.

"A good ol' cup of tea'll sort you out then." He continued, grabbing a box of tea bags from the overhead cupboard. "By the way, guys, if you're wondering where you'll be sleeping, I've had the back of the house converted so there's two spare rooms there now. Just one thing though..."

"What's that, then?" I asked, trying to keep Haxorus warm,

"You and Haxorus NEED to stay in separate beds." He replied, laughing again,

I'm still not sure whether I should take that well or not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A New Dawn, A New Day**

The sun was setting now, the weather completely still; a full contradiction to earlier in the day. We'd been travelling since the early hours, and it'd taken us so long to get to our destination, but we finally made it to the warmth of David's cosy log cabin.

We'd all warmed up now and were relaxing in the living room as we talked about the old days; the days where we used to play the games of the very world we now lived in, about how much of a prick Josh could be and how much of a non-direct inter-species faggot I was/am... sure... 'good' days.

To be honest, nothing of the sort was secret now, nor was it fifteen years ago (albeit with Latias was more one-sided though). I guess it's one of those things, right? Tolerating a 'flaw'; if you can call it that. The constant jokes towards us I'd grown used to, fond of even; but I still wonder whether they're legitimate stabs at us, or just harmless gags.

Sitting comfortably on one of the sofas, Haxorus curled up against me asleep, David spoke to me directly,

"You do realise I was being entirely serious about the bed thing, right? Not being offensive or anything, but... you know."

I wasn't particularly sure how to reply to what he said. The air seemed to thicken a little.

"I didn't, no, but it's your house so..." I replied, brushing a finger off one of Haxorus' axe blades,

David sat thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding silently.

"You've met Aero, right? My Lucario? Well, the last time you must have seen her was when she was a Riolu, right?" He said, changing the subject, "She can see through walls with her aura powers you know."

"Neat." I said, simply, "We should probably be heading off to sleep anyway; we've been travelling all day, and the snowy routes took their toll on ol' Haxxy, here."

Josh turned to face me and looked me in the eyes; he could see I didn't really know how to handle the situation.

"Good night then you two; sleep well. David says we're gonna meet Maylene and Candice tomorrow up town." Josh said, trying to lighten the mood, "Not sure how Mrs. Shiverscales there is gonna act around ice types though." He continued, laughing slightly,

"I'm sure she'll be alright." I smiled, tickling Haxorus under the chin to wake her up.

She drearily opened her eyes and instantly looked at me for an explanation. I tilted my head towards the back room and smiled at her; letting her know that we should get some rest because of the journey. Slowly clambering off the sofa, and dragging her feet, she headed off to get into one of the beds. Just before I followed her, I turned back to the other two.

"Don't worry Dave; the springs won't need replacing." I laughed, before following her in and shutting the door.

Josh turned to David, uncertainty on his mind, and went to ask him a question, but David was ahead of him.

"I wasn't being serious at all Josh; I thought he was used to us joking with him about... 'it'. It's not like it isn't obvious. Besides, he'll be delighted to know that I lied about there being two singles in there."

Josh smiled slightly, before pointing a finger at David and laughing.

"You jammy so-and-so Dave... you don't think -"

"I do."

******************

As the moon was high in the sky and the two of us were asleep, Josh and David decided it was wise to get some sleep. Josh drowsily went into the other spare bedroom, and fell straight to sleep, whereas David decided to... check on things. Quietly retrieving his starter's Pokéball, he called them out into the hallway.

"Aero. Can you do me quick favour? I just need you see what's on the other side of the wall here." He said, pointing,

She nodded silently, before closing her eyes and focusing hard on the section of wood, a blue glow emanating from her hands.

"Anything other than sleeping?" David asked,

She simply shook her head and imitated sleeping before looking at him strangely.

"I have my reasons Aero; you know what they're like."

She rolled her eyes at him and mimicked hugging, before confirming that was all.

"Fine; thanks Aero." Dave said, ruffling the fur on Aero's head, before returning her to her capsule.  
"I sure hope he knows that people probably won't respect his actions..." he thought, before walking to his own bedroom and climbing into bed, "No matter what people think of you."

******************

Hours had passed since we fell asleep; the sun was rising once again, the air was frosty and... and the other side of the bed was empty. Blindly flailing my arm around the cold sheets next to me, I sat upright and was greeted by a certain dragon, who looked incredibly startled.

"...Hax? What're you doing in my backpack?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes,

She softened her expression and tried to smile innocently. It didn't exactly work, her sharp teeth were basically baring. I just cocked an eyebrow at her

"Couldn't it have waited till we were both ready?" I asked, sidling out from under the warm bed covers,

As I walked over to her, I noticed she had something behind her back. It was obvious that it was from my bag. Sighing deeply, I smiled at her and held out my hand.

"Come on, silly. Hand it over."

She sighed back at me, before she placed the item in my hand. It was what I'd bought the other day, from the costume store. A cape to be exact. Even today I still don't know why she wanted one so badly.

I sleepily looked at Haxorus and chuckled. I could tell that she didn't expect me to wake up before she was ready; I can only guess she wanted to surprise me when I got up.

"You're just as daft as I am, Haxxy." I laughed, rubbing her on the nose with my free hand, "Come on then; turn around." I said, making a spiral gesture with my index finger.

She looked surprised, but complied quickly. Taking hold of the buckle I placed it around her neck and clasped it together, tightening it slightly so it wouldn't come undone. After straightening the fabric out, I gave her a kiss on the neck, inciting a quiet giggle.

She turned to face me and looked mildly embarrassed. She began twiddling her claws as she looked around nervously.

"Very nice. You look great." I said, smiling.

She turned her attention back to me, timidly taking hold either side of her cape.

"Care to give us a twirl then?" I chortled, as I retrieved my gown and put it on,

She obliged by slowly spinning on the spot, arms outstretched, before letting them drop to her side again.

I smiled and nodded quietly to her, before Josh burst into the room without warning, making Haxorus nearly dive at him out of shock.

Obviously surprised himself, he mumbled, "S-sorry, Dave jus' wanted to let you know we're leaving in an hour." Before shutting the door again.

I shrugged my shoulders, before the door opened slightly.

"N-nice cape by the way."

******************

The weather was still calm from the morning, the three of us wrapped up in thick woollen clothes as we walked towards the city centre with our starters by our sides.

Josh's dim-witted Steelix tagged behind, leaving massive trails in the snow, as Aero was happily conversing with Haxorus along the way. I noticed the dragon blush a few times on the trip, but was glad to see her making conversation. I do believe Haxorus was complimented on her new appearance... before Steelix decided to take a chunk from it. He earned a gloved slap from Josh and a trip back into his Pokéball because of that.

"So... where abouts is this bar then Dave? Never been around this part before." I said, as I tried cheering Haxorus up,

"Not far, really. It's a nice little place; pretty atmospheric. Good choice of drinks too, since there's not much choice for pubs." David replied,

Josh casually looked back at me only to find that Haxorus was glumly leaving her footprints in the snow as she plodded along, her newly tattered cloak trailing behind her.

"For a soldier, she seems a little… soft, don't you think?" Josh whispered, nudging me in the side,

"Depends; outside of the barracks she's pretty sweet and relatively harmless, but when we're training against the test dummies… there's never anything left of them, usually. She also has makes the most deafening noise I've ever heard." I replied, patting Haxorus on the back.

"I bet you've heard that a few times, 'ey?" Josh laughed, before signing to Haxorus he was kidding,

Laughing with him, I replied, "Don't you know it!" after putting my arm around her shoulder,

Haxorus looked at me in bewilderment, before blushing slightly. I chuckled at her and slowly shook my head. She quickly shyed away and timidly toyed with the edges of her cloak.

******************

We took slightly longer than anticipated to arrive at the bar; Josh forced us to go to the nearby store and let him stock up on caffeine… twice. Haxorus gave him a playful smack on the shoulder upon the third attempt.

David was the first to enter the building, the heavy wooden door being pushed open letting the smell of beer and whiskey flow directly into our faces. In the far corner of the rustic building, at a large wooden table, were the two people we were supposed to be meeting. Candice called to David and waved us over.

Taking our seats at the table, we exchanged hugs and a few 'good to see you again's, before we started talking about...well... whatever really.

"So, I hear that you passed your training in Kanto, Lucas, right?" Candice asked, picking up her drinking glass, "Haxorus did well too, apparently." She continued, drinking whatever liquor was in the beaker,

"To be honest, she probably went through worse than I did; she needs to be able to handle more situations than I do, as unfair as that sounds. Personally, I think she deserves more credit." I said, sifting through the wallet I got from my backpack,

"You like embarrassing the poor girl, don't you?" Maylene laughed, heartily

Confused, I turned round to Haxorus to find her blushing brightly again.

"I guess I'm gonna need to stop saying things publically, 'ey?" I said, forcing a laugh

Deciding to buy everyone a drink, and partially to leave the situation for a while, I got up and headed to the bar. I was approached by a relatively young man with fair skin, dark hair and a smart dress sense.

"What can I get you sir?"

I was trying to think about what to say to the others about the tension I'd spontaneously created, between me and my dragon.

"Sir?"

I was at an impasse at that point; not entirely sure how to defuse the situation, so to speak.

"You alright sir?"

"Huh?" I said, jolting awake from my contemplation,

"Anything I can get for you?" he asked again,

"Oh right, sorry. Can I get a vodka and lime, three glasses of water, a scotch and Baileys and two premium lagers please?" I asked, sliding him eight hundred Pokédollars,

"Coming right up."

******************

"So... you're saying he has a... thing for her?" Candice asked David, keeping an eye on Haxorus as she chatted away with Aero,

"I guess you could say that; but he makes it out to be a big joke, which I think he feels we believe. That or he's just playing along. Either way, the evidence is obvious." He replied, removing his Pokéball belt,

"And her?" Maylene asked, gesturing towards the dragon,

"...i'm not really sure. She seems to get embarrassed whenever anything to do with the subject is brought up; like she gets really timid, but... we're not one-hundred percent sure why-"

"Probably because she knows that we're onto them, and that Lucas is making a fool of them both by rejecting the idea of it." Josh interrupted,

"So you really think that it goes further than being close teammates, or even close friends?" Maylene continued,

"You could say that. Or you could say that he's waiting till night rolls in an' then fu-" Josh tried saying, before Haxorus caught wind of the conversation (with a little help from Aero, that is)

She was staring daggers at him, before giving him a hard slap. She then promptly stood up, flicked her cloak around her back and stormed off, walking straight past me, and out the front door.

"What the fuck's gone on here then?" I demanded, placing the drinks on the table,

Aero tugged at my fleece, trying to get my attention. She pointed at Josh and made a... gesture with her finger and paw. Understanding fully what she meant, I groaned and ran after my partner.

******************

"Haxorus! Haxorus, wait!" I called, as I ran down the street after her,

She wasn't in a hurry, so to speak; she looked as though she was walking normally, but I could guarantee that the situation was far from it.

Finally catching up to her, I caught my breath and leaned on a nearby wall. She must have known it was me, and stood perfectly still.

"Hax... I know what was said. I guess it's mainly my fault though; I really shouldn't play everything off as a joke, when you and I both kno-"

She turned her head round to face me; her face bright red, water dripping off her axe blades and onto the snowy concrete.  
Just looking at her made me feel horrible; I know that I was the main cause of this.

Ignoring the fact that we were in the middle of a busy street, I quietly walked over to her and held a hand in front of her. She looked at me confused, her face still bright red. Nodding at them, she placed a hand on mine, and gripped it firmly. Dipping my head and resting my nose on hers, I whispered to her,

"You and I both know what goes on between us, and I'm pretty sure everyone else does by now. Do you think... we shouldn't keep it a 'secret' from people?" I asked, placing my hand on her neck

She closed her eyes momentarily and looked as though she was smiling slightly. She began making the same quiet purring noise from the night before, before nudging me with her nose.

"Just ignore Josh; he's always been the same way, ever since I've known him, and he won't change. David on the other hand... he's not really poking fun at you or me, he's... hinting to others as to what we're like, so to say." I said, chuckling

Her purring got slightly louder.

"Come on; we'll settle this the way we're supposed to." I said, planting a kiss on her nose,

She gently returned the motion and looked at me questioningly.

"We're soldiers. What're we trained for, huh?" I asked, smiling wildly

A grin began to spread on her face as she realised exactly what I meant. Looks like the bar was about to get some live entertainment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Close Moments Forge Close Relationships**

Haxorus looked a lot happier; her eyes still a little wet, but she was smiling now.

"Haxorus? Can you grab my bag please? It's got all my gear in it. Oh... and grab Josh too." I asked, still grinning about my plan,

She nodded instantly and threw off her cape, before darting back towards the pub to get the 'items'.

A short while later, she came back out wearing my backpack and with Josh in a fireman's lift, closely followed by everyone from inside.  
I could make out muffled yells from him, as the distance closed between us, one of which I daren't repeat.

As Haxorus came back over, she plonked him down in front of me and retrieved her cape as she dumped my bag onto the concrete.

"Why the fuck did your girlfriend drag me out here, making sure I had my Pokéballs with me?" Josh demanded as he went red in the face.

"We're gonna settle this like adults; not over a slanging match." I calmly replied,

"If this is about the whole 'fucking' thing..." he said, grabbing a Pokéball from his beltline,

"More or less." I smiled, grabbing one of my own, from my bag, "It would probably be wise to let other people decide when the best time to talk about themselves is."

Josh stood still for a while, not saying anything. Just... thinking.

"You know you've never beaten me at Pokémon, Lucas. I'm too far up for you." He laughed, tossing the ball behind him, releasing his Steelix,

"That was on a game. Out here? Things are completely different." I smiled, dropping the Pokéball in front of me, "And Smogon don't mean shit."

A bright flash of light was let off from the red and white sphere, before a war cry sounded from my Typhlosion, the heat from his flames melting the surrounding snow instantly.

Josh's Steelix replied with a baritone growl that shook the timbers of the nearby buildings, snow falling off the roofs.

"Military training rules Josh; anything goes except for critically wounding, killing, eye gouging or destroying the city." I said, the flames from my Typhlosion heating the air around me.

"Can we at least get on with it? My beer's getting warm." Josh shouted, as he backed off the battlefield,

My Pokémon turned his head to me, smiling with his teeth bared. I nodded at him to confirm my order, without speaking a single word.

"Steelix, Earthquake!" Josh shouted,

"Come one man, what the fuck did I just say about wrecking stuff?" I called to him, as my Typhlosion latched onto the metal snake's face and let off a flamethrower.

The creature flailed wildly to get my fire type off its face, ignoring Josh's command entirely. Jumping off the Steelix, he waited for an opportunity to take them down as efficiently as possible. After all; it WAS in his training.

As Typhlosion let off a weak flamethrower, aimed at the 'feet' of the Steelix, the giant snake opened its mouth and roared in pain, allowing my Pokémon to use lava plume, directing it down the Steelix's throat. A large shockwave emanated from the explosion, sending Josh's Pokémon into a nearby snowdrift. Further inspection saw the Steelix to have fainted upon impact, causing Josh to recall them.

"Are you kidding me? That's bullshit!" Josh shouted, tossing all his Pokéballs onto the floor; the rest of his team being released into battle.

I just smiled and followed suit.

"Now this is how a no-rules battle should go!"I laughed, my team bellowing loudly in front of me, "Typhlosion. Sit this one out; I want him to have a fair chance." I smiled, Typhlosion nodding,

Haxorus relished the thought of humiliating Josh, but... I think she also had other reasons too. She was baring her fangs alongside the rest of my partners; a Salamence, an Aggron, a Galvantula and a Luxray. All of them were battle-hardened fighters, but none of them were malicious; just dedicated to what they train for.  
Haxorus stood at the forefront, like a leader; cape blowing in the wind as she growled loudly, mindset entirely different to before the battle began. She could be quite frightening sometimes; even in my eyes.

Josh looked over his team, which was pretty balanced if I'm honest. It consisted of his Whimsicott, a Reuniclus, a Tyranitar, a Ninetales and a Raticate; all equally prepared to 'rip the opponent's throats out'... they could try, at least.

"Come on then guys; show 'em why we're in the business." I called to my team, the wind picking up slightly,

There was a sudden volley of attacks from both sides, some projectile based, some physical. Not to say Josh is a bad trainer or his team is ineffective, since they weren't. It's just... we had the training and the mentality of soldiers during skirmishes; we were used to 'battle royales' involving hundreds of human squads combined with thousands of Pokémon, and each are capable of dying. War was brutal... battles were fun.  
As much as i wanted to get involved, i knew that they had everything covered; we'd gone through strategies and counters for nearly everything, bar things to do with weapons (after all, that was what us humans are for).

Typhlosion stood next to me, his heat keeping me warm, as we stood watching Josh command his team from afar; we sniggered when he looked over at us and saw that we weren't actually doing anything.

Whimsicott and Reuniclus stuck together during the fight, trying to stave off attacks that seemed to come from left, right and centre; Josh's Reuniclus even attempted to use trick room to gain the advantage, but Aggron had other plans. Stamping hard on the ground, roaring loudly, a large crack appeared in the earth and headed straight for the clump of jelly. A large boulder shot from the ground and hit the cell from underneath, knocking it to the floor. As Whimsicott used cotton guard to protect them both, Salamence flew over head and fired off a dragon pulse, burning straight through the fluffy shield.

"Jesus Christ man! Reuniclus, Whimsicott, return! Come on team, step it up some! Raticate, use hyper fang on Haxorus; maybe he'll reconsider battling after a blow to her!" Josh shouted, becoming more and more flustered,

As his Tyranitar fought head-to-head with Haxorus, his Raticate dashed towards her, fangs glowing brightly. Noticing him out the corner of her eye, she shoulder barged Tyranitar in the way of the attack, causing him to shout in pain before she used brick break on his chest, fainting him instantly. As for Raticate? He ran away as fast as he could.

"God dammit! Ninetales, use sunny day followed by Flamethrower on Galvantula!" Josh called, as Raticate hid behind him,

I just laughed at the whole battle; it just seemed funny to me that Josh would be kicking my ass if this was the game.

******************

As the crowd watched the battle intensely, cheering everyone on, David stayed at a distance and watched, drinking his lager; his team out of their Pokéballs. Aero sat on the wall next to him and gestured anger before wagging a finger at him.

"Hmmm... i guess you're right Aero; i don't think we should bring up his affection for her anymore. Shit happens whenever we do." He chuckled, placing his glass on wall

******************

As i watched Ninetales get blitzed by Galvantula's Thunderbolt, Typhlosion tapped me on the shoulder as he pointed to Haxorus.

He signed a heart to me before pointing back at Haxorus and then to me. I nodded to him slowly as he returned the motion... he then turned to me again and pointed at Haxorus cape as she did a dragon dance, avoiding Raticate's attacks as Josh made him fight again.

"I guess we can find something, Ty." I laughed, "Maybe a top hat or something."

Typhlosion smiled as he turned to watch the battle finish, as the giant rat collapsed to the floor out of exhaustion.

Josh stood with his head hung low, shaking his head to himself.

"...Everyone... return." He muttered, calling his team back to their Pokéballs.

As my team assembled next to me again, Josh trudged over to me, his beard thick with snow and glanced at Haxorus prior to turning his attention to me. He held out his hand to me before a small smile spread across his face. Taking hold of his hand, he shook it vigorously, before laughing to himself.

"Well done Lucas; i guess you put me in my place after all these years." He laughed, releasing my hand, "I guess i should really stop taking the piss of you two, now i know you could KO me without a problem." He continued, tipping his head towards Haxorus, who had her hand on my shoulder.

"Well... i think you went over the line by a mile in the bar and we felt you needed to know that we're not pushovers." I responded,

Josh laughed again and nodded profusely before proclaiming it was 'his round'.

As everyone went back inside, David was the still leaning against the wall smiling at us. I smiled back but he returned his team to their containers and went back inside with the rest.

Turning to Haxorus, patting her on the arm, she smiled shyly at me before leaning in and kissing me on the nose. She then giggled to herself as the rest of my team sniggered away.

"Eh-heh, good job everyone; you should all be proud of yourselves today." I said, throwing my hands in the air; initiating a loud cheer from the team.

As i returned everyone, Typhlosion made a 'hats off' gesture before going back into his ball causing me to chuckle to myself. As me and my cloaked dragon walked back to the pub, she clasped my hand in hers and nestled its claws between my fingers, purring as she did so. If it weren't for her blades i would have given her a kiss on the cheek.  
She slowed down a little, before coming to a complete stop just outside of the front door, and turned me to face her. Noticing her become red again, she placed her hands around my waist and pulled me close to her, before kissing me again; lasting a little longer this time.

"Heh heh, company could discourage a lot i guess." I thought, realising she was waiting for us to be alone.

Pulling away, she looked me in the eyes, her own glistening from the bright sunlight overhead and gently nudged me with her nose. I asked if she would like a drink when we got back inside, but she shook her head and kept me outdoors.

"Something wrong, Hax?" i asked, confused

She quietly giggled to herself before kissing me on the nose again; her tail wagging softly from side to side.  
Without going into too much detail, she rubbed her hands up and down my sides, prior to pulling away and taking me into the pub again. We had drinks to make Josh buy...

******************

We ended up spending the rest of the day at the pub, drinking and laughing with each other, before saying our goodbyes and heading home.

Traipsing back through the partially melted snow, we reached David's log cabin again; slightly drunk from the day out. I didn't like drinking particularly, but if Haxorus wanted a beer with the others, then why shouldn't i?

As we slumped onto the sofa to have a rest, everyone else having fell asleep, Haxorus quietly poked me in the stomach, purring. As I asked what she wanted, she sat on my lap, facing me; her tail hanging down onto the floor before placing her hands on my shoulders, smiling. Leaning down to my eye level and nuzzling me, she tipped her head towards the back of the building; her smile wider now.

"…Is that a good idea?" I asked, holding her by the waist.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and nuzzled me again, before standing up, flicking her cape and sauntering off; looking at me as she passed the corner.

As I slid down the chair a little, I looked at Josh, David and Aero… they were basically unconscious from fatigue and alcohol. Looking around the room, I wondered if it was…right to follow her; especially after we'd been drinking, but… I can't really remember much else.

******************

As the light invaded the bedroom, I opened my eyes and looked downwards to find my dragon sleeping peacefully; her chin on my chest, and her blades passing my face.

Looking at the clock next to me I noticed the time was rather late compared to the past couple of days; 11:14 am to be precise. Turning to face the door, I heard noise coming from the living room. Laughing and joking. I knew that the others decided not to disturb us; which made me feel both grateful yet confused. I seemed to be wearing my dog-tags still, but my t-shirt was over the chair in the corner of the room and I was still wearing my cargos… I didn't really want to give it much more thought or consideration than that.

I gently caressed Haxorus' cheek before her eyes shot open. I can certainly say that it startled me a little.  
Propping herself up on her hands, she pushed the covers off us with her tail, and sat between my legs; her eyes reflecting the light.

"How long have you been up, girl?" I asked, her actions seemingly too energetic,

She just shrugged at me, so I think I should probably get round to teaching her how to tell the time at some point. Sitting up myself, I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her before telling her 'good morning', but she wouldn't let me out of bed without a fight.

"We've had enough sleep for this morning." I laughed, "Besides; once is probably enough if what I think happened actually happened, don't you?"

She cocked her head at me, letting me go at the same time; her face appeared as though she was in deep contemplation.  
Sliding out of bed and getting ready quickly, Haxorus remained on the bed, thinking away.

Grabbing her by the cloak, I tugged her off the bed, and went to meet the other two in the living room; hopefully we weren't too late for breakfast.

******************

"So… what's with leaving us so long?" I asked, munching on a piece of fresh toast,

"Well… Aero sensed some… happenings last night, after we woke up, and told me that it would be best if we let you have a lie in today." David replied, flicking his jukebox on.

"Oh dear Lord!" I laughed; the jukebox began playing a song from disc one of 'The MissingNo Tracks'

Haxorus simply eyed me as she tucked into a lump of Tauros meat David had bought for her before we arrived.

I could tell Josh wanted to ask me a question, whether it was genuine curiosity or not, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he finished his cereal… David asked instead.

"So… do you remember what went on; Aero didn't digress."

"…Not really; no. I just remember seeing you three asleep, then the next moment I was waking up not long ago."

"Fair enough."

I'm really going to have to remember what happened at some point, or another.


	4. Chapter 3 and a half

**Chapter [Redacted]: This Was A**

**Bonus**

**I Never Expected...**

Getting off the sofa, I quietly headed for the bedroom, turning the handle silently, and shutting it behind me. The room was incredibly dark but by no means was it impossible to see. The moon was incredibly bright in the clear sky that night and lit the room in a faint blue hue. Turning my attention to the double bed, Haxorus appeared to be fast asleep, curled up under the cover of her cloak, and was breathing...rather heavily actually.

"Must just be the drink." I thought to myself, as I sat on the edge of the mattress,

Checking my watch as it glowed in the shade, I took note of how late it was; 01:37 am.  
Sighing to myself, I gently rolled onto my side and lay next to my dragon; her warm breath blowing against my neck behind me.

As I got comfortable, I felt something press against my exposed side; a hand in fact. A clawed hand. Realising it was obviously Haxorus, I raised my arm a little to let her rest her own on me. Wrapping her hand over my chest and beneath my underside, she pulled me against her body and wrapped her other arm around me, holding me in an embrace; her breath still beating against my neck.

"I must have my head pretty close to her razors." I thought, repositioning my arms to a more comfy position.

The room was incredibly quiet. All was silent apart from the rapid beating of my dragon's heart, and the slower pace of my own. I couldn't help but think that Haxorus just wanted me to come to bed with her to cuddle before going to sleep, but she dropped off before she anticipated. That still didn't explain her heart rate though.

As I lay thinking, the bed began rocking slightly. Realising it was her tail wagging gently, I relaxed a little, thinking that she is doing the same as I was and just had her eyes closed. That was until she pulled herself a little closer, rested her chin on the back of my head and began purring.  
Reaching behind me, I stroked the armour plating on her uncovered flank and spoke to her quietly.

"So you're not asleep, huh? Just resting a little?"

She replied by purring louder and squeezing me gently before releasing her grip a little. Slowly prying her claws off me, I rolled over and held myself against her, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose and cooing to her, making her tail wag a little harder. The moonlight reflected off her eyes and glistened in the darkness; their ruby colour far darker than normal.

"I get the feeling you wanted me for something Hax; care to tell me what?" I whispered,

She glanced away for a moment before focusing on me again. She leant in and kissed me on the lips; far more passionately than after the battle earlier on. Resisting the urge to chuckle, I pressed against her mouth and returned the gesture.  
Breaking away, I tickled her belly a little before kissing her back; she responded by gently prodding her tongue against mine, almost inquisitively. Softly poking a little further, she felt around the interior of my mouth, her body quivering slightly at the sensation, before removing herself; a small trail of her saliva connecting us to each other.

She giggled to herself before pushing me onto my back, getting up and sitting between my legs. Lifting me up to her level, still purring , she grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt with one hand and raised it; placing her other hand against my stomach.

"I can get changed myself, you know." I laughed, as she removed her hand and tried to take off the item of clothing.

She stopped momentarily before continuing. Sighing, I lifted my arms and let her remove it, before she tossed it onto the chair by the bed. My dog tags hung around my neck and clinked together quietly as the fresh air came into contact with my skin.

"Well if I'm not wearing my clothes to bed; you're not wearing your cape." I chuckled, as she played with the pieces of metal dangling by my chest.

Glimpsing at her cloak she shook her head a little, grinning softly, as she playfully smacked my hand away from the clasp around her neck. Nuzzling me, keeping a hold of the golden buckle, she pushed me onto my back again and moved further down the bed.

Feeling two sets of smooth claws press against my flesh, undoing the buttons on my cargos, my heart felt like it skipped a beat. As I felt my trousers get pulled down to my ankles, I looked downwards to find Haxorus eagerly toying with me.

"Haxorus? What're you doing?" I hissed, worry in my voice.

She simply looked at me with her big eyes and placed a claw to her lips before sliding my underwear down too. Throwing her cape over her head, covering the front of her body, I felt her brush her hands along my thighs and stomach, before gently slipping down towards my groin. As I watched her form, I felt her toy with my manhood, teasing it somewhat, before tenderly wrapping a hand around it; using her cape as cover for her actions.

I'm not sure whether it was excitement or something else that prevented me from interrupting, but I remained where I was without any intention of disturbing her.

She tenderly caressed my shaft as it stiffened, her strokes increasing in pace, before she slowed a little; two slight prods pressing against the lower part of my abdomen. Releasing her grip, tossing the cape over her back again and breathing heavily, she clambered over my body and hovered above.

I stared directly into her eyes, as her teeth shimmered in an anticipated smile. Her tongue hung loosely from her mouth, as she purred loudly to me. Lowering her body, forcefully pressing her crotch against mine, she kissed me on the lips one final time before I realised the situation properly.

Her groin was swollen and wet, juices dripping onto my inner thighs; the area usually hidden amongst her armoured shell, but her arousal had brought out her desires and (unwittingly) my own.

I stared at her for a moment; erection pressing against her soft, moist flesh before finally speaking up.

"Don't be too rough." I laughed, wrapping my arms around her neck.

Nuzzling me, she lifted herself up, repositioned her body and gently set herself onto my manhood, her slit moulding around it, before she let out a groan of pleasure.

"Carry on Hax..." I mumbled, "Please keep going."

My pleas starting off her thrusts; the sensation of her cold body pressing against my soft skin, as I held onto her waistline and pushed against her smooth body. Her insides contracted with every drive, her panting becoming louder and louder. Clenching my eyes shut as I groaned, I gripped onto her body even tighter, her frame pushing so hard against my own, having to force myself to hold back my inevitable orgasm. I wanted to paint her insides white with my fluid; to hear her shout and roar but I refused to submit so quickly. I needed to make her work for it; at least.

Swallowing hard, I made her stop her thrusts, sweat dripping from her grey skin onto my chest, as she gasped for air. Gently nudging her sides, I cautiously rolled her onto her back and propped myself above her chest, before taking over.  
She arched her back, growling tenderly; cooing my name in her tongue as she grasped at whatever she could, trying hard not to dig her claws into me out of her pleasure induced frenzy.

I could feel that I was at my peak now. Gritting my teeth, I made one final thrust into her slit; unleashing my seed into her womb. As Haxorus hit her own climax, she yanked open the golden clasp on her neck, and stifled her orgasm induced roar with her cape, burying her face in it as her fluids mixed with mine, and gradually oozed out of her and onto our legs.

Collapsing onto her body, I could hear her breathing deeply and rapidly above me; refusing to remove her head from the bundle of fabric as she kept it pressed against her nose, mouth and blades. Mustering the strength to quietly chuckle to myself, I wrapped my arms around my sweaty dragon, and hugged her tightly, before removing myself from her. Rolling onto my back, I managed to pull my cargos and underwear back up as I suddenly felt incredibly tired.

Haxorus finally calmed down and lay with her arms by her sides as she turned her head towards me; smiling sleepily just as I got into the bed properly. She quietly climbed under the bed sheets with me and lay on me, cape still in her claws. Giving her a kiss, I removed it from her grasp and put it back around her neck before hugging her warmly and drifting off into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Formal Meetings; Informal**

**Situations**

As we sat on the sofa, watching the telly, my phone buzzed in my pocket; the ringtone startling everyone engrossed in the film. Apologising, I stood up and left for the bedroom to take the call, unaware of who it was.

"Hello?" I said, shutting the door behind me.

"Lucas? It's Surge." The elderly voice said, "We're gonna need every able bodied soldier and their teams to report in to the barracks. As much as I dislike interrupting your holiday, I really can't help it." He continued,

Sighing deeply, I looked around the room for a moment before replying.

"When do you need us?" I asked.

"...ASAP really." He answered after a short pause.

Sighing again, I looked towards the bedroom door, then at my gear. Returning to the phone I nodded gently to myself and took a breath.

"Yes, sir. I'll be there within two days; maybe one." I answered, swallowing the lump in my throat.

What was so important that I needed to be dragged away, along with every other Tom, Dick and Harry? Chucking my phone into my open bag, I headed back to the living room and leant over Haxorus' facial blades and whispered for her to come with me for a moment. Excusing us from the others, I took Haxorus outside and explained the situation to her. She looked thoughtful for a little while before nodding; heading back inside and straight for the back room before shutting the door.

As I stepped back inside, Josh asked me what the problem was and why we were acting weird.

"Well... unfortunately guys, something came up. Surge was the one that called and told me that every soldier from Vermillion needs to report in for the next few days." I said.

"Did he say why?" David asked, turning the T.V volume down.

"He didn't, no." I replied, "But he did say that he needed me back as soon as possible, so I can't really hang around I'm afraid." I said, holding my hand out.

"Well..." he said taking hold of my hand, "You'd better get there soon and kick some ass, then." He continued, shaking my hand, as my dragon re-entered the hallway with everything packed.

After a short while, I explained the situation to the rest of my team, and asked Salamence if she could fly us back to Jubilife; the wind was good and the snow wasn't falling, making decent conditions.  
Growling in acceptance, she lowered her body to the ground and let me sit in between her wings. Haxorus however was going to have a bit of a rough ride.

Salamence hovered off the floor a couple of meters, as Haxorus raised her arms above her head; Salamence grabbed hold of her hands before flying off with us both.  
Honestly; not having a Pokéball for the six-foot dragon can be a nightmare sometimes.

After three stops during the trip, and the sun high in the sky, we landed on the outskirts of the city. Naturally, Haxorus and Salamence were complaining about their arms and legs hurting, but they knew it had to be done.

After they had a brief rest, we made tracks for the airport in the hopes that a plane to Kanto wasn't hours away.

Upon arriving at the ticket desk, I returned Salamence to her ball and rummaged through my bag for the two tickets I'd arrived with, before enquiring about the next plane to Sinnoh, before heading for the check-in suite, to find it filled with young children running around and screaming whilst parents either attempted to stop them or were asleep. Heading for the coffee machine, I noticed a child, of about five years, had tried getting Haxorus to play with them. I laughed as I watched them latch onto her tail whilst Haxorus was desperately trying to get their mothers attention. As I took my coffee from the vendor, I felt a pair of arms cling around my chest before a slightly exasperated grumble sounded behind me.

"Heh heh; kids love you despite the fact you're big and sharp, don't they?" I sniggered, taking a drink from my cup.

She grunted quietly; pressing her body against my back whilst reaching for the cup as she did so.

Letting her have some of it, we found a place to sit down and wait for our plane number to be called. Looking up at the large T.V in the room, I was looking for the number 'K50097', which apparently left for Kanto in about thirty-five minutes. Skin of our teeth if you ask me, since we're supposed to board a half hour before.  
No sooner had we sat down than we had to get back up again; the intercom crackling loudly before announcing boarding for the four hour flight to Kanto. I didn't bother accepting the cup back from Haxorus; she could have it.

Sprinting down the long passageway, after showing our tickets, we found our seats and waited for the plane to take off. God knows what was going on back home.

It was the day after the flight and was nearing one in the afternoon in Kanto and the weather was warm and calm over Saffron City. As me and my dragon stepped outside onto the tarmac, we made haste for Vermillion City via the route just south of the concrete jungle. Sprinting with my bag on my back, Haxorus close behind, along the dirt pathway that led to the only place with a pier in the entire region, my mind wandered to how the other two were doing back in Snowpoint. Knowing them, they were probably relaxing indoors or something. Or out drinking.

As we approached the identification gate just outside the barracks, my ID already prepared, I raised it up to the guard in his booth. Nodding silently at me, unlocking the electronic gate, we entered the complex and went to find Surge. Other than the military police and guards, the whole base was entirely devoid of life outside of the central building. As we entered the huge hall, most of the chairs inside occupied, the two of us felt out of place suddenly. Everyone had their combat gear on, assault vests stocked with munitions, and their Pokéballs around their waistlines. None of them batted an eyelid as we looked for somewhere to sit; other than Surge, who was sitting just inside the hall entrance.

Gesturing for us to come over, he whispered for us to sit and listen to the General before doing anything else.

"Glad to see you two finally made it back. Unfortunately I'm not at liberty to tell you the situation, so you'll have to hear it from the horse's mouth." Surge said, before returning his attention to the podium at the front of the room.

Taking the vacant seats next to him, we listened intently as our General as he tapped the microphone in front of him. Loud thuds resonated off the walls before his deep, gruff voice sounded.

"Good afternoon men; I trust you all slept well this morning? The reason I have called you all here today is due to a situation that has come to my attention. A situation taking place in the Unova region. We have reports from the local forces that a group of criminals have been kidnapping both people and Pokémon for unknown reasons, and have engaged in conflict with the region's soldiers."

I couldn't help but think that this was nothing more than a whole base update on a relatively large situation, involving an allied region. I'd heard of trouble cropping up over in Unova, but I didn't think it would've escalated.

"Unfortunately, the group is well prepared and well organized; these aren't your average troublemakers, and they know exactly what they're doing. The Elite Four has specifically contacted us to give them a hand in the matter. I realise that this will be a grave thing to ask of you all, but it is something that needs to be done."

I wasn't 100% sure what he was going to say; but the feeling the suspension gave me wasn't the best thing I've ever felt...

"Men! Our C-130's leave tomorrow at 0700 hours. Thank you gentlemen; I hope you understand."

And with that, the five-star general stepped down from the podium and walked out of the room, removing his hat as he did so. No one seemed to want to move or make a sound; the only thing that could be heard in this giant hall was white noise coming from the microphone before the feed was stopped.  
I turned to Haxorus and looked her in the eyes, as she cocked her head in the direction the general was standing; as though she was thinking. Suddenly, Surge tapped me on the shoulder trying to get my attention.

"Well... that was unexpected, hey?" he said, his voice warbling slightly.

Nodding quietly, I grabbed the strap of my bag in one hand and gently nudged Haxorus with my other, before leaving the building silently. That was a lot to take in during such a short time; good thing my team's up to spec... I just hope my squad is the same.

Looking up and squinting at the sun and the cloudless sky, I wondered what the Unova region would actually look like. Sure, I'd played the generation five games all those years ago, but I'd never actually been to the real place. As exciting as it'd be, I highly doubt sightseeing would be condoned when we're being overrun by terrorists, right?

As the two of us headed back to our two bedroom house, I thought about what gear I'd need and what I'd actually say to my squad; I hadn't seen them in a while, and it was going to be great seeing them again. Unlocking the front door, slipping my boots off, I placed my Pokéballs onto the side cabinet and headed straight for the kettle in the kitchen... I was gonna need a lot of coffees for this one...

It was early morning; around 5:15 am, and the sun hadn't began to rise yet. Clouds blocked out the sky and the air was cold enough for us to see our breath; but I have to say that the route towards Snowpoint was FAR colder than this.  
I'd always liked to be earlier than need be when we head out for missions; it helped me get my head in the right place, let me think about the possibilities that would arise and how we'd all deal with them. As I sat in the hangar, where our plane was sitting, my team was outside conversing with one another; Typhlosion acting as the heat source for everyone again.

"What's up Colonel? Long time no see." A voice said from the entrance.

Looking at where the voice came from, I saw my small, four man squad with their starters behind each one. The one that spoke to me was my marksman; Staff Sergeant Curtis 'The Gun' Johnson. Tall, thin man but deceptively strong and fierce in combat. He can empty an M40A5 magazine into a target within 5 seconds with incredible accuracy, but can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn with a side-arm. We're still working on that problem; but his Machamp covers for that weakness for now.

Seeing as it's the right moment; I guess it should introduce you to the rest of my group;

Gunnery Sergeant Vincent 'Nade' Matthews – a well built man around the same height as myself, and my trusted go-to demo guy. Earned his nickname through his crude use of an enemies Electrode as a kind of 'counter-claymore' by rolling an armed grenade near one. As it happily ate the bomb, the fuse ignited, detonated inside the ball with a face, blew in the hideout wall and... you get the idea.

His Pokémon is an equally inventive Magnezone; incredibly useful at shorting out enemy equipment; defusing bombs, etc.

Major Phillip 'Willow' Stoke – a generically short man with typical brown, crew cut hair. Our resident tech and communications expert; who has one mean Hydreigon. The rest of us say that he has one to make up for his size, but we don't say it often...  
His name originates from a joke we have where we have Vincent's Magnezone tap into a radio Phil's working on in a secluded area and suddenly shout the words 'Willow Pillow' at him. I can say that he doesn't like the joke much.

Last but not least is Daniel 'Aggro' Nickleson – My right hand man and my support weapons specialist. His nickname derives from his tendency to shout profanities and guttural roaring as he suppresses the enemy. As daft as it seems; he enjoys the notion as much as his Nidoking loves bringing buildings down on terrorists. And that's a hell of a lot.

As for me, people normally call me 'Colonel' more than anything else, but I've heard... other things from the men before. Think Josh, but military form.

"How's the bed springs holding, Lucas?" Aggro called, his Nidoking nudging Machamp as they sniggered.

"They're holdin' alright thanks; what do you think my salary's for? How's your asshole doin'?" I called back, approaching them.

Laughter befell the hangar as Aggro went bright red.

"So, what're you all doing here so early? You guys never normally show till the last minute." I said, shaking everyones hand.

"Just thought we'd pop in for a visit Colonel; after all, we do have to ride for eight hours in the back of a plane with you, don't we?" Nade smiled, his Magnezone beeping cheerfully above him.

That flying UFO still gives me the creeps...

Nodding at the group, I showed them where my team was; only to find Haxorus playing with Typhlosion whilst the others spoke amongst each other.

"Looks like that Haxorus of yours still has a split personality, 'ay?" Gun said, patting me on the back.

"Well she gets the job done; that's what matters, right?" I replied.

"At least she reverts back to a chilled out, playful character when she's done killing bro. Wouldn't want 'er turnin' on you at the wrong moment, if you know what I mean." Nade said, nudging me.

Laughing, I got my teams attention and called them over for a quick briefing. I'd told them the situation the previous night, but I'd only been told the plan of action when I arrived at the hangar.  
Turns out we were jetting off to the outskirts of the region, and bailing out from the height of a commercial airliner and landing in the fields near Nuvema Town. If you want a mental image of the scale of airborne reinforcements, think of either the 'Modern Warfare 2' mission 'Wolverines' or a swarm of angry hornets for those less CoD inclined. A fucking big swarm.

Since C-130's were so large, me and my squad were obviously going to be surrounded by other men; most of them I'd know personally, whereas some would probably be new recruits.  
Hardly a mission you'd want to be sent on for your first time in the field, right?

Suggesting to the rest of my men that they should have a rest before we leave, I headed back to the hangar with my Pokémon. I had my personal sidearm with me at the time, in the holster on my right hip. The weapon itself was standard issue, but the things I'd... added were far from it (like the x2 sight for example). Sitting back down on my original seat, leaning against the corrugated wall, I toyed with the pistol a little, before Haxorus sat down next to me and leant on my shoulder. As I turned around, I noticed she'd gone straight to sleep. Following suit, I drifted off into a slumber for about an hour or so before we took off.

After all; I had to look my best for those bastards in Unova, right?


	6. Chapter 5

Personally, i'd say this is the weakest chapter i've written so far, but your mileage may vary.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Predators**

The day was coming to a head; the sun was high in the sky and our planes were high above the clouds now. Looking around the seating area I could see the various squads all anxious to get their feet on the ground and get it over with. Amongst them I saw young men; some were probably the same age I was when I first joined. Fumbling with my assault rifle, I knew that today was going to be something that was going to cost us dearly but there wasn't really much we could do about it now; we had our orders and Unova needed the support. That's what we'd been training for.

Suddenly the intercom crackled to life; the pilot signalling the countdown to our HALO jumps.

Thirty seconds

Sixty-four men from our C-130 alone would parachute down to the fields outside of Nuvema Town, to meet up with the passengers of five other planes.

Fifteen seconds

Upon landing, we'd all be required to send out all our Pokémon making the total support force nearing two thousand heads.

Five seconds

The rear doors ground open, the outside wind sucking out the air from the seating bay.

"GO!" the pilot ordered.

In a steady stream, we all leapt out the rear end and dove through the thick layers of clouds. The wind whistling loudly through my oxygen helmet, as I kept my arms tucked against my body to reduce drag.  
As we passed the clouds, we flew straight into pouring rain; the droplets spraying against our shaded visors.

"Alright men; pull!" I called through my helmet radio, as I yanked on the parachute cord; the wind filling it instantly, slowing my decent.

As I directed myself away from the nearby trees, I glanced around to see my platoon soaring past me, touching down on the sodden mud.

As I hit the ground, I jogged a little to keep the momentum going before stopping and releasing my parachute. Grabbing the five Pokéballs from my beltline, plus a special sixth one containing Haxorus, I let my Pokémon out onto the grass. The 'special' Pokéball is different because it isn't a permanent capture; it's temporary for missions such as this.

"Alright soldiers. We need to head to Castelia City ASAP; that's where we'll be linking up with the local forces. The other platoons will have landed close by, and will be heading in the same direction so watch for friendly fire. Form up on me, and keep your helmets on; we can't take any risks out here.

A Mexican wave of salutes acknowledged my orders, before we readied our weapons and jogged off towards Accumula Town.  
Each platoon would get to Castelia via their own means, so I decided to try and commandeer several Lorries from the local supermarket, just outside of Accumula. I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige.

As we arrived, we were greeted by civilians; welcoming us and thanking for our support.

"Looks like the welcome wagon, Colonel." Nade said, patting me on the back.

"Just make sure they keep their distance Gunnery Sergeant; we can't be sure of anyone yet. I need to speak to the manager of the store." I said, pointing to the crowd.

As the workers left the supermarket, I approached the head and told him we needed his vehicles. He looked at me, bewildered, for a moment. I wasn't sure he was going to allow us to just drive off with them.

"Just make sure I get them back in one piece." He laughed, as he shook my hand.

I couldn't help but notice the accent he had; exactly like Surge's. That and the willingness of the locals.

Approaching the swarm of men behind me, I spoke through my coms.

"Alright men; get in the back of the lorries. Those soldiers need our help, and us being here ain't doing much good." I said, pointing backwards, towards the bright green semi-containers. "Curtis?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"You drive the other one, and stay close behind me. We can't afford to get separated."

"Yes sir."

The roads were surprisingly clear; we'd only passed a few cars on our hour journey, as the rain beat down on the windscreen of our trucks. Haxorus sat in the front with me, as the rest of my squad and team were in the back with the rest. Glancing over to her quickly, I noticed her pupils were constricted and her teeth were bared. Her 'split personality' was out, it seemed.

"Don't worry Haxorus; we'll be there soon." I thought to myself, chuckling quietly.

As we reached the outskirts of the massive city, I signalled to pull over before getting out.

"We're on foot from here on out; we can't chance being larger targets than need be. Willow; see if you can get in touch with the Unovian Captain. Tell him the terror deterrent's here."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the Major replied, removing his radio.

"Listen up men; we're going in hard and fast. I wish I could say I want this cleanly done, but that's out of the question for them. If you see an HVT; attempt a capture. If the situation isn't right; don't hesitate to kill them. Same goes for the rest of them."

Fists rose in the air, as sixty four teams of six flooded the street; various roars and cries sounding alongside the cocking of weapon chambers. Today was going to be a busy day for all of us.

"AGGRO! TWO O'CLOCK, HIGH! GIVE ME COVERING FIRE!"

"GOT IT, GOT IT!"

"COVER ME, MY RIFLE'S JAMMED!"

"SOMEONE, GIVE ME A HAND OVER HERE! THEY GOT US PINNED DOWN!"

The buildings were peppered with holes and debris; grenades and rockets streaming through the air as gunfire was exchanged through the large streets. From experience, I can say that this wasn't a support operation. This'd turned into a war.

"Nade! Get a frag in that window; Curtis, you're with me!" I called, as bullets pelted against the overturned car we were using as cover.

"Sir!" Nade called, as he tossed a grenade during the lapse in gunfire.

Waiting for the explosion, me and Curtis sprang from cover and darted for towards a doorway; smashing it down as we went. As our Pokémon fought valiantly against the enemies, we humans were figuring out ways of ending this fight as fast as possible. I didn't land here to get slaughtered.

Holstering my rifle, I readied my serrated combat knife and leaned against the stairwell wall. The tell-tale 'crack' of sniper rifles sounding from upstairs.

"Curtis, you stay here and kill anyone that's not ours if they come in; I'll deal with this." I said, wiping the dust and dirt off my visor.

As 'The Gun' set up on a low wall, I crept upstairs, my heart pounding hard, I saw a masked soldier looking down his weapon's scope.

Sneaking up behind him, my knife in my right hand, I slammed it into the centre of his back, placing my hand around his mouth to muffle his pained shouts, as he flailed his arms. Quickly collapsing, I placed him on the floor and ventured further upstairs, swapping hands and pulling out my pistol; fitted with a silencer I slowly climbed the stairs. Three more men were looking outside; their weapons drowning out all other noise. As I picked off the first man with my pistol, one of the men stepped back from the window and noticed me. Quickly firing a round at him, my weapon jammed as the third soldier pulled away. Desperate to unclog the barrel, I pulled on the chamber repeatedly but to no avail. Luckily the enemy had to reload himself, so I dropped my gun and launched my full weight against him, knocking him to the floor.

Throwing a Kevlar infused punch at him, he hit my hand out the way and side swiped me, knocking me off. As he stood up, he kicked me in the chest hard, causing me to splutter. As he tried again I smacked his boot away before kicking him between the legs; taking the moment to right myself, I rammed against him again, punching them on the nose, before sweeping his leg from under him; sending them crashing to the ground again. Stamping on the soldier's chest, I unsheathed my knife in an attempt to silence him, but the man brought his leg back around kicking it out of my grip, sending it into the corner of the room.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" I shouted, punching him in the stomach as he stood up, trying to catch his breath.

Launching a volley of punches into his chest and head, I grabbed his shirt and slammed him into a wall, before throwing him against a mirror; smashing it in the process. Pushing me backwards, he grabbed a piece of glass and slashed at me, narrowly missing, before trying to throw it. Dodging the shard, I punched him in the jaw causing him to recoil towards the window, before slamming into him, sending them smashing through the glass and onto the street below.

"...Bastard." I coughed, blood spattering the mouthpiece of my helmet.

Retrieving my knife and weapon, I removed the blockage and headed back downstairs.

"Curtis; There's a good vantage point up top so-" I stopped suddenly, coughing violently, before continuing, "-so I want you to set—to set up you sniper and lay down covering fire from there. I'll join you after I've placed a few traps." I said, rubbing my chest lightly.

"Sir." He nodded, before jogging upstairs past the bodies.

Breathing deeply, wincing at the sharp pain, I realised he must have broken a rib or something; but I had to continue. It's not like we were in a situation where we could pull out.

After placing a few booby traps, I removed my rifle, outfitted with a 1-4 magnification scope and headed back upstairs to set up next to Curtis on the roof level; two more enemy bodies on the floor.

"Were they..."

"Yeah, Colonel. Don't worry though."

Nodding, I looked through my scope and began to pick off targets, as our forces (combined with Unova's) cleaned up the rest. Unova had air superiority whilst the ground troops gave us more of a problem.

As I fired a shot through a skyscraper window, straight through the skull of an Eelektross, I noticed something that seemed... familiar. Curtis noticed my ceasefire and attempted to ask what the problem was, but I never noticed. He was wearing what seemed like a blue suit, with a white shirt, and seemed to be quite old. His hair was thinning and grey and appeared to be enraged. Was he a hostage, perhaps? No... I'd seen them before, but I couldn't place my finger on it. They had a briefcase with them too; but I couldn't be sure of where I'd—

"Colonel! For fuck sake, Colonel, enemy sniper up high!"

Snapping out of my trance, I saw a glint from a rifle scope from one of the upper skyscraper floors, and it appeared to be pointing towards the ground. Shifting my attention to the streets, I saw my squad.

As I took aim, the enemy fired before I could kill him, the shot ringing out loudly, before I fired back; striking him in the chest.

Returning my attention to the road, I saw someone lying on the ground, an LMG by their side.

"...shit." I muttered, before sprinting back down the stairs, back to ground level.

As I got to the bottom floor, I heard a break in fighting; guns fell silent, as hundreds of footsteps were heard in the distance.

Running back outside, back to the overturned car, I saw a body covered in blood. They were still alive... but only just. It was highly unlikely that they'd survive a shot to the chest.

Crouching next to the man, looking at his bloodied face, that's when I realised... it was Aggro...

Coughing loudly, he raised his hand shakily to me before placing it on my shoulder.

"Co—Colonel...? D—did we—win?" he sputtered, blood flowing from his wound and mouth.

Tears began forming in my eyes as I watched him smile; his breathing erratic and wheezy. A Corpsman approached us and tried to sedate Daniel, before patching up his injury.

"Don't... don't worry Danny; we'll get you out of here." I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"D—don—don't lie Sir-" he whispered, blood running from his nose, "I know i—I won't make it. Just ma—ke sure my team gets- gets out." He continued, his eyes dilating suddenly,

"Don't you die on me you angry son of a bitch! Who do you think'll take the piss of me when you're gone?" I chuckled slightly, as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Ju-jus' use—protection sir... you'll be alright." He laughed, before his breathing slowed to a halt; his heart becoming silent.

I sat still, quietly, before turning my attention to the medic. He knew what I wanted to know.

"I'm... sorry Colonel... he's gone." He said, dipping his head.

Lowering my head, I cried quietly to myself, before standing up. If only I'd noticed that sniper earlier; I could have saved him. If only I hadn't noticed that one mysterious man.  
The thought of my mistake still chills me today.

Sitting in the back of the C-130, our platoons heading back to Kanto, I stayed silent throughout journey; Haxorus sitting next to me for the trip. She was persistent in trying to cheer me up; even going as far as to remove my helmet, and kiss me on the cheek. That was also when she noticed that I had blood on my visor and face. She insisted on cleaning me off, before forcing me to tell the medic.

Unfortunately, he told me that he couldn't do extensive tests onboard a plane, and I'd have to see him when we get back.  
When I sat back down, Haxorus gently nuzzled me; unaware of the other soldiers onboard, but I'm not particularly sure they're surprised.

It was going to be a long ride home and I didn't enjoy the feeling of it.


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay on this guys, 'College; College everywhere!'  
I've already started Chapter 7, so that should be up a lot faster than this one.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Really, Now?**

"Come on, Hax... can I rest for a bit at least?" I mumbled, turning away from the dragon.

She tipped her head at me, before leaning against the hull of the plane; shutting her eyes as she did so. The engines whirred loudly outside, but my plated helmet blocked out most of the noise. Sighing deeply, my lungs in pain as I exhaled, I wondered how many we'd lost that day. Looking around my bay, I saw a lot less soldiers than when we arrived; I guessed that about a four squad equivalent was missing from my plane. I dread to think how many were gone from the other C-130's.

As the intercom crackled to life, I silently hoped that I hadn't broken a rib; that I'd just been injured badly in the sternum or something, causing me to bring up blood.

"We are nearing the outskirts of the Unova region now, men; we are approaching Undella Town." The pilot said, initiating cheers from the remnants of our forces.

"Captain... what's that coming up on radar?" a second voice said; the intercom still on.

"I... I don't know. Keep a lock on it Sergeant; they seem to be advancing pretty quickly."

By this point, my interest had been taken and I was listening intently to the conversation between the pilots.

"Two confirmed anomalies sir, and they seem to be distancing from each other. Should I attempt a radio link, sir?"

"Yes; just make sure you keep an eye on the radar."

Cocking my head at the events, I could hear a faint 'hiss' above the roar of our engines. I hadn't noticed that from a C-130 before...

"Comms are being denied Captain, and they seem to be moving into a formation."

"As long as they keep their distance, we should be fine."

Suddenly a ringing siren sounded throughout the craft, before frantic voices shouted over the intercom.

"They're breaking formation Captain; two missiles have locked on according to radar!"

"Deploy IR flares Sergeant!"

Glancing at the rest of the men, they realised as much as I did that... we were in the shit again. Haxorus looked at me hysterically, her eyes dilated as the noise sounded.

As the pilots shouted to each other, the C-130 began banking erratically, avoiding whatever was being fired at us. Trying to calm Haxorus down, I looked towards Nade who was unloading his weapon and storing it on his person, whilst the other men were doing the same.

There was an abrupt shock from outside, followed by the sound of crunching metal. Suddenly, the plane began to veer towards the right.

"We've been hit, I repeat, we have been hit! Soldiers, grab what you can and brace for impact!" the pilot shouted, as we began spiralling downwards.

Quickly calling Haxorus into her special Pokéball, I grabbed hold of the railing above me as I felt my weight begin to disappear; our downfall making us feel weightless as we headed for the ground.

As I kept my grip on the metal bar overhead, my legs now parallel to the floor, an explosion ripped through the rear door; wind sucking out everything that was inside the seating area as well as any man who didn't manage to keep his grip.

As the pilots attempted to straighten out the plane as best as they could, I felt my muscles aching as they resisted the urge to release their grip on the railing.

"Don't let go... whatever the fuck you do, don't fucking let go!" I shouted to myself, as the intercom was filled with feedback and shouting.

Unexpectedly, the craft levelled out somewhat, as the spiralling slowed down... that was when I saw the tops of trees. As we continued our descent towards the ground, I saw thousands of trees behind us, the tops all bend and snapped from the belly of our aircraft.

"BRACE FOR IMP—"

"Ugh... my... my fucking chest... my fucking head... my fucking... everything."

The moon was high in sky, not a cloud anywhere to be seen, and the stars were glimmering brightly against the black backdrop. A truly beautiful sight... if it wasn't for the scenery nearby.

Painfully opening my eyes, i was greeted with darkness. Wondering if I was dreaming, I soon realised that there was something on top of me, blocking my view. Gently pushing the object of my helmet, i found that it was relatively soft. Sitting up, looking at the item, I found it to be a body. A soldier to be specific. Standing up, I turned my attention to a bright orange glow not far away; the hue shining on the nearby trees as a loud crackling could be heard.

Stumbling over, I was met with the crumpled remains of our aircraft; the hull torn apart and alight, bodies scattered around the crash site.

"Jesus Christ..." I muttered, supporting myself on a tree.

Most of the bodies had their helmets off, making it easier to identify them.

Removing the dog-tags off the men I could get to, I heard a throaty cough in the distance. Swiftly lying prone, I watched the direction the noise came from. Through the heat haze from the blazing plane carcass, I watched a figure stumble out of the burning trees, supporting themself as best as they could, I noticed shimmering from what seemed like a visor. The flames reflecting convexly off a black, digital camouflage helmet, as the figure collapses onto the ground a few meters ahead.

Realising that they were obviously part of the platoon that crashed, and survived, I scrambled over to where they lay. Their gear and uniform appeared to be intact, bar some mud stains, and their breathing sounded fine. Gently rolling them over, I listened to their heartbeat. Steady.

Confident in their health, I checked the wreckage for more survivors but... it wasn't a pretty sight in there. The pilots weren't anywhere to be found, other than their headsets snapped on the console in front of their seats. Approaching the hole in the seating bay, I looked back towards the man that collapsed... he had disappeared.

"The hell?" I thought, looking around.

Checking my beltline, I felt all my Pokéballs in place, a feeling of relief flushing over me, and propped myself up against the hot metal wall.

Listening intently, I could hear the sounds of branched rustling and cracking above the noise of the roaring flames; seemed like we had more company. Ignoring the violent pain in my chest, I crept outside and lay on the ground, crawling towards the tree line in which I came from. That's when I saw something that still affects me, even today.

As I lay on the dirt, blending in with the flickering shadows, I saw what appeared to be a Druddigon. An especially angry looking Druddigon, at that. In its grasp I saw it had hold of a leg. Following the leg, I saw that it belonged to the soldier that collapsed not long ago.

The idea that it was possibly the soldier's Druddigon passed through my head multiple times, that maybe it was taking him to a more secluded, safer area, but I couldn't have been more wrong. As I watched the Pokémon lift him up by his leg, the man still unconscious, I wondered what it was doing; not once did it occur that it was probably wild. The Druddigon growled wildly at the human as his arms flopped limply in the air, before the creature took hold of one of his arms.

My breathing became slightly more erratic as I watched.

Grunting loudly, the Druddigon pulled on the soldier's arm and ripped it clean off, blood spattering the dirt beneath him, before tearing off one of his legs and dropping him onto the floor. Stifling the urge to vomit, I remained perfectly still as the man's body lay in a pool of deep crimson, the moonlight reflecting eerily off the puddle, as the Pokémon walked off further into the trees with the two severed limbs.

Swallowing hard, I looked around for a weapon, even if it wasn't my own. I'd need to protect myself if the native species were like that. I can't imagine what 'fun' a Hydreigon would have if it got a hold of me.

Finding a rather beat up, but intact, assault rifle I did an ammo check and advanced into the trees; the amount of bodies at the crash site not nearly enough to account for everyone.

Considering it too dangerous to have anyone out at the current time, I darted through the woods as best as I could, trying to get a bearing on where I was.

"The pilot said we were nearing the outskirts of Undella Town, so the nearest set of woods would put me near that place where Landorus would appear on the game or towards the Giant Chasm... what the fuck am I saying?" I thought to myself, as the noise of the fire got quieter and quieter behind me. Thinking back to the Druddigon I saw, perhaps we'd banked so much as to head back towards Dragonspiral Tower... but that was bloody miles away; no way could we have gotten that far so fast.

"I'm fucking lost..." I thought, sprinting over muddy twigs and branches.

"Nade...? NADE? Get your ass over here! We got another one here; gimme a hand!"

"Kid's beat up pretty bad, man; you think he'll make it?"

"He's part of the Kanto Division... he'll pull through."

"If I can make it to a route or road I should be alright." I thought, running towards a break in the trees, weapon bouncing around in my grip, "I wish it was safe enough to send out a Pokémon; be so much easier to get my bearings..." I panted, my helmet muffling the noise.

"Right; is that everyone? Has everyone got a working weapon and side arm?"

"Not me sir; lost my Colt and there's no spares anywhere."

"Right; you stick close to Curtis then. Anyone else? No? Then let's not hang around."

As I reached the end of the tree line, I stopped and leant against a tree, checking the woods behind me as I caught my breath. Scanning the pathway, the moonlight giving sufficient shade for cover, I stayed close to the edges of the route and brought my weapon to bear, keeping a constant eye on my surroundings before slipping away into the night. Perhaps the 'Giant Chasm' route would give me a well needed deterrent against enemies and Pokémon alike.

Several hours later...

The state of the deserted cavern was how I'd imagined it to be; dusty, dry and... devoid of anything that resembled the man-eating legendary. I'd set myself up in a cranny within the cave structure, to keep myself hidden from any equipment the enemy may have had. That, and Pokémon wouldn't come looking for prey here. Releasing Haxorus and Aggron from their Pokéballs, one stood guard whilst the other slept before swapping over. Funnily enough, every time it was Haxorus' turn to sleep, I'd feel her snuggle up to me; draping her cape over us to keep warm.

Even if I was half asleep; I still thought it was adorable.

Sleeping in the Giant Chasm wasn't easy; i... I couldn't stop dreaming about what happened in Castelia... to Aggro. From what I saw at the plane wreck, his team's Pokéballs weren't there; that played with my mind for a while. I just hoped that they'd dropped somewhere and they'd been let out somehow; that way they could get away from the area and at least try and survive like us. Just the fact that I promised him I'd look after them, then... that... ugh, it just... just... ugh, it just fucked with me so much.

After a few hours of rough sleep, we made tracks for the nearest town which, if I recall correctly, would be Lacunosa Town; humble, traditionalistic and welcoming... well... I couldn't be sure of a warm welcome when I was going to walk in with armour and a weapon but... you get the idea.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: 'Family' Reunion**

The corridor wasn't how he remembered it to be. Run down, musty, filthy... it looked like a completely different place to him now. His footsteps echoing on the cracked marble floor as he approached the very room he once had a fateful 'conversation' with someone in. Opening the door, the hinges rusty with age and lack of use, he gazed around at the once spotless, white room. Approaching, what appeared to be, a sliding panel he rubbed his hand along the gap between the shattered glass and the filthy moving wall, sighing exasperatedly.

It had been such a long time since that day.

And it made him angry.

"So... normally I'd use a Pokéball to store something, but I've got none to spare." I said to myself as I patted my assault vest and beltline, trying to see what I had with me.

Haxorus sidled up to me and nudged her special Pokéball with a smile, but I shook my head and explained I couldn't use it; it's already assigned to her and I sure as hell didn't have the equipment to recalibrate the thing. Shit's like Fort Knox to hack.

As I put my helmet on, the mouthpiece encrusted with the blood from the day before, I turned to face Haxorus to find her blushing and turning away. What with me being too far into 'survival' mode to notice fully, I adjusted the seal on it and set up the HUD only to find it utterly ruined.

"Fucking piece of shit..." I cussed, smacking the side of the headgear, before switching it back off and standing up. "Looks like we're running on our own initiative out here, till we get evac'd. I guess all I can say is 'stay sharp' and 'stay safe'."

Haxorus whined to herself, before heading towards Lacunosa's pass gate, flicking her cloak around her as she went.

I chuckled to myself as I watched her cape catch on her tail, as it bobbed around, showing her backside.

"I'm a lucky man, ha ha!" I laughed, cocking my rifle's chamber and jogging after her.

"Sir?"

"...yes?"

"We've found the crash site of the plane... it looks like there were some survivors."

There was a short grunt to the statement, before being followed up.

"Are you sure you never made a mistake? You remember what ended up happening last time mistakes were made."

There was a brief pause.

"...Yes sir... but... that was y—"

The man was interrupted by a fist slamming onto an old wooden desk, startling him.

"I fucking KNOW it was my fault, you idiot! I do NOT need the likes of you to point out my errors, you hear me?"

"Yes sir. Sorry sir."

"Ugh... just... just tell me what you wanted and get out of my sight."

"Well... you see, there were survivors from the crash. We're one-hundred percent sure they were on that plane and, well... they weren't amongst the bodies that were left."

"Did you check thoroughly?"

"Yes sir; triple-checked."

"They've always been a slippery little shit. Even in my old age... I was sure I'd get where I wanted to be by now."

"Sir?"

There was no reply for a long while... or it could have been a few seconds; the tension that lingered in the air seemed to affect the flow of time before a sentence was uttered once more.

"Send squads out to find look for them. Check the nearest towns and structure. Use brute force to...entice civilians to give you information if need be; just bring that fucker to me. Alive."

The man nodded and went to leave, before one last thing was mentioned;

"And make sure the men go out as the local militia... we don't need the whole region knowing who or what we are."

The man scurried back out without another word.

"Hold—hold up dammit! I'm injured remember; I don't want to spew blood again!" I wheezed, slinging the weapon over my back.

God my lungs needed air all of a sudden.

Haxorus turned around and giggled at me; playfully nudging my shoulder before walking away again, batting her eyes at me as she did so.

"That girl is trying to tease me at the wrong time..." I thought, removing my helmet before stepping through the electric doors that led to the reception area in the pass gate.

If you can imagine a doctor's waiting room, it kinda resembled something like that; sterile, white and boring. There was even a reception... just no receptionist. I could guess as to why that was, however. As I passed through, I glanced at the electronic billboard on the wall to my right; complete static.

"Hold up Hax; let me just check something behind the desk. These guys get near-instant info on what's going on in Unova." I said, arching over the receptionists desk and rummaging through the pile of papers on the mahogany.

Haxorus stood beside me and tipped her head quizzically; unsure of what I meant.

"Damn; there's bugger all here. Looks like we're gonna ha—"

I was interrupted by, what sounded like, shouts from outside. My heart rate instantly rose, and I silently slipped against the plasterboard, next to the glass doors, beckoning Haxorus to do the same.

Using my helmets amplifier I listened intently to the voices that were outside... nothing clear, no; the tech wasn't that advance, but I was more focused on the intonation in their voice over anything else. If I could get that, I could determine whether we were safe or not.

As the voices got louder I unsheathed my knife, unsatisfied with the quality of the helmets playback quality.

"Looks like I'm doing this old-school style." I thought, remembering back to the day I 'visited' Josh's house those years ago.

I eyed the serrated edge and blood channel of my blade; finely sharpened and made from a steel – titanium compound. It was a little weighty, but it didn't really cross my mind when I stabbed someone. It was getting it back that concerned me.

As I heard the electric doors 'whirr' open, I held my breath, ignoring the pain my lungs gave me, and listened to my heartbeat. It was fast as anything. As I watched two men casually strut into the pass gate, I looked at their weapons. Shitty, rusty little carbines, with a small, familiar decal on, that had been given next to no care. As for the men themselves, they wore tatty civilian clothes and facemasks to cover their faces with.

"It's the fucking militia..." I sighed, mentally.

Loosening my shoulders, I leapt at one of the men, knocking him to the ground, before punching the other in the face and stamping on his head, smashing his glasses. As the other tried to get up, I pushed him back onto the ground, gesturing for Haxorus to 'deal with him' before slitting the throat of the one with broken shades, cutting as deep as I could to ensure his death; blood spattering the clean, white tiling on the wall. His body spasmed for a moment, before lying still in his own fluids. As graphic as that sounds, I won't even mention what happened to the other guy.

"Righty-oh, we'd better leave." I said as I wiped the blood onto the dead man's jumper, and jogged towards the Town.

Lacunosa itself was a nice enough looking place; neatly set buildings, neatly trimmed plants outside them, neatly kept paths and roads... the whole place was neat and tidy. It was quite surreal really. As we crept around the area, the buildings looked untouched; not a single one appeared to be affected by the events raging around Unova. The day was just getting to its peak, so I expected the inhabitants to be out and about, but... there was no one... it was a ghost town.

Sneaking over to an open window, Haxorus close behind me, I glanced through the glass pane and scanned the room; a kitchen devoid of anyone, but riddled with daily items. By that, I mean items like breakfast bowls around the worktop and pans with stuff in, on the hob.

After doing the same check on a few other houses, I concluded that the place had absolutely fuck all left here; just empty houses that look like they were abandoned pretty damn quickly.

"Hmm... where'd everybody go then?" I asked myself, rhetorically.

Considering taking advantage of the situation, I shifted round to the front door of the nearest house and pulled down on the handle... the door opening with great ease...

Instinctively slipping the rifle off my back, whispering for Haxorus to stay back, I crept into the family home; my steps resonating uncomfortably loudly off of the wooden floor. Keeping my eyes open for any signs of movement, I searched the living room, dining area and kitchen to no avail. Swiftly making my way to the stairwell, I beckoned for Haxorus to come inside and keep watch from the front window as I checked the upstairs. As my footsteps dulled against the soft carpet; my boots leaving slight brown marks on the fabric, I checked all open rooms; some of which had drawers strewn across the floor, what was in them now scattered around the area.

One door, however, was shut; making me feel the need to check it last for safety reasons. As I leant against the wall, I saw the telltale silhouette of my dragon coming up the stairs in front of me. Sighing to myself, I looked at the carpet beneath the door; blood. Thinking deeply about entering the room, I thought about whether someone was taking refuge inside; after all, it WAS the only door that was shut in the house. Slowly opening the door would only lead to me getting, either, shot or grappled whereas kicking the door in would shock them long enough for me to take them down if I needed to, but could result in being attacked by innocent people.

Taking a step back from the door, pulling the charging pin back on my rifle, I shook my shoulders and forced my foot against the door as hard as I could; the wood ripping off the hinges, and slamming onto the floor. Quickly following up, I ran into the room, keeping my head down, and scanned the area before someone shouted loudly.

"We've got a breach; take 'em down boys!"

As I watched a figure spring from around one of the room's corners, I heard a roar from behind me before a large form dived at the person, knocking them to the ground.

"CEASE FIRE; CEASE FIRE!" the man shouted above Haxorus' roaring,

Looking at the man, i saw that he was wearing a patterned outfit... a uniform. Covered in shades of grey, digital, DPM's, and a helmet which a large, dark visor.

"...Curtis? That you?" I asked, staggering against the doorframe.

"Heh, looks like you just got dumped, Colonel; Haxy's found a new man!" the soldier laughed, holding his hands out.

Looking at the other men in the room, I saw they were all wearing the same uniform; the rest of my squad.

Chuckling to myself, my laughter gradually picking up volume, I stood up properly again and nudged the growling reptile hovering over my marksman.

"Don't get too comfortable like that, bro; she gets rough!" I said, still laughed, whilst grabbing one of his hands; trying to haul him to his feet.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Curtis saluted, prior to me nodding gently, "It's not like I'd want dragon slit, anyhow." He laughed, slapping me on the shoulder; Haxorus mumbling to herself as she traipsed back out the room, flicking her cape around her legs as she did so.

It was good to know they were alright... I just wish that Aggro could be here to do the same... speaking of which.

"Curtis... guys... does anyone have Aggro's Pokémon? They weren't at the crash site."

One of the men held up a black belt with six little red and white spheres on it. God it was a relief to see them.

"So, sir... what happened? How'd you get from the crash? We all thought you were dead."

"Heh; well I woke up yesterday, in the evening, only to find a wild Druddigon in the area... but I won't go into detail on it. Let's just say it looked like an alpha male and was pretty hungry."

Curtis cocked his head at me, before he jumped at the sound of a loud 'grunt' from behind me.

"Your 'gee-eff' sounds like she's getting frustrated Colonel; we should probably get moving." Curtis said, gesturing going downstairs.

Nodding in agreement, I shook hands with the rest of my squad as they passed me and went out the door; Haxorus growling at Curtis as he passed her... I don't think she likes him anymore.

Removing my helmet, placing it under my arm as I left the room being careful of the blood on the floor, I glanced at Haxorus; her eyes tracking me as I walked past. Just as I was about to descend the stairs, Haxorus reached out and grabbed onto my upper arm; stopping me in my tracks. Standing perfectly still for a moment, I could hear her breathing heavily behind me. Stepping back towards her, I turned around and looked into her eyes; wide and unblinking as they stared back just as intensely as my own. Taking a few deep breathes, she let go of my arm and gently leaned in towards me, the lids of her eyes gradually closing as she bumped her nose against mine. Dipping my head slightly, accepting the gesture, I kissed her, softly, on the top lip; inciting a tender growl from her. Using my free hand to caress her neck, I nudged her back against the wall as she placed her claws around my waist, pushing her mouth against mine, as she continued to growl in anticipation.

Chuckling to myself, I dropped my helmet without thinking, and pressed my palm against her hip, as I continued to rub her neck and kiss her; the dragon getting increasingly pent-up at the situation, pressing her slender tongue against mine as her saliva began to—

Suddenly there was a loud noise from outside; the force of which nearly knocked me off balance. Haxorus, obviously startled, nearly stabbed me with her axe blades as she turned to the direction the blast came from.

"Jesus fuck; what the fuck was that?" I shouted; grabbing my helmet and sprinting down the steps, to outside, "Curtis! What the fuck was-"

As I was cut off mid-sentence, I could see a giant plume of smoke billowing out from a line of trees in the distance, just beyond the tree-line outside of Lacunosa.

Looking towards my squad, I could see they were motionless... just watching the plumes evaporate into the sky.

Slapping Curtis on the arm, snapping him out of his trance, I told him to go in the house and grab what supplies he could. The other two would stay outside and take point whilst I helped him. After a minute or so, we'd returned with our assault vests full of dried food, as well as various energy bars, before leaving the area as fast as we could; the thick black smoke now covering the sky. Arceus knows what caused it, but I didn't feel like hanging around to find out.

"Sir, this is Echo One on site, over."

"Roger that Echo One, go ahead."

"A small group of ground troops have been spotted leaving Lacunosa Town, Sir; one of which appears to have a member of the local Pokémon species following them, over"

There was a break in the talking for moment; just static, before a voice sounded.

"This... Pokémon... what does it look like? Can you describe it?"

"Err... roughly the soldier's height; big tail, things that look like flat axe heads on its face... I can't quite make out the colour; looks like it's wearing something. Should I pursue, Sir?"

There was a quiet chuckle before a reply was given.

"No, no..."

Silence befell the conversation again.

"...Sir?"

"Contact the forces we have in Castelia City... tell them they've got a special guest arriving. Tell them they should be there by nightfall and will most likely be looking for somewhere to stay. They'll know what to do."

"Roger, Sir."

As the squad and I trekked along the Unovian routes, passing through the famous 'Opelucid City', which is where all the dragon 'masters' visit upon some sort of special tournament or something, but due to the recent... troubles, let's say; the place was just as about as bustling as Lacunosa was. I couldn't help but wonder where everyone had actually disappeared to.

The streets of the Dragon City were deserted; the odd piece of litter blowing around wildly, as we took our time, and stuck to the edges of the surrounding trees. As we came to the entrance gate, Willow ran up and tapped me on the shoulder before shoving a GPS under my nose. Taking the time to look at the equipment, he pointed to the path we were supposed to be taking to get to Castelia City... through the Iccirus moors, through Mistralton City, past Driftveil, etc, etc.

"That's gonna take way too long; an evac won't even bother coming out if we're here that long."

"No shit, Colonel."

Looking thoughtful for a moment, I pointed to the centre of the map; the 'Entralink', as it's called.

"What about across here? It'll cut out a fuck-ton of travelling time and make it a lot easier to get to Castelia... the desert'll still prove a problem though."

"That place? It's sacred ground to a bunch o' natives; best not to disturb it or they'll get their Pokémon ta rip ya apart. Druddigons an' all that."

I stared intently at Willow for a moment before dropping my head in dismay. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I leant down to his level and pointed at Haxorus before leaning back and stating that he was also the owner of a fucking Hydreigon. The rest of the squad just laughed, as our tech guy grunted and snatched the GPS back before trudging off into the forest.

Good thing me and Haxorus woke up early and met with the squad; we could at least get to Castelia City during the early evening, at best. Then we could find a place in the city to set up and get some sleep before making our way back to Route 1... why was everywhere so empty all of a sudden?


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Rediscovery**

The trip across the long mountain range that surrounded the sacred grounds was arduous and ended up with us burning through our stash of energy bars, and a few drinks upon reaching a safe area, where we had a rest. Haxorus refused to have anything we'd brought with us, regardless of the fact that everyone else had finished; I even tried to do the 'here comes the airplane' thing as she sat between my legs, but... she just shoved it away. She seemed a little more tense and angry than normal.

"I think we were being followed back there, Sir. I don't think those dragons were native to the area."

"I'm pretty sure a Druddigon isn't born wearing purple tribal patterns covering its body and piercings along its tail, do you?"

"...Guess not."

True enough, we'd passed a little _too_ close to the natives encampments and ended up being watched from trees and shrubs along our path. We tried to present as little of a threat as we could but one Druddigon got a little too... cocky and rushed us. Well... rushed Haxorus. As me and my squad rolled out the way of the diving dragon, it knocked Haxorus to the ground in an attempt to pin her to the mossy floor, but she just went with the motion and continued to roll, throwing them off again, over her head into a tree trunk. Getting back to their feet, the Druddigon grunted loudly a small grin appearing on its face... either they wanted the challenge or they 'wanted' Haxorus. Leaping at her again, Haxorus sidestepped and grabbed a hold of the creature's tail, stopping them in mid-air before crashing face first into the dirt. Dragging the dragon across the floor, as it scraped at the foliage, trying to get a grip, Haxorus flung the beast into the tree trunk again; the four of us just watching as she worked.

Lying on its back, the tribal paint now missing in most places, Haxorus strolled over and placed a clawed foot on the male's chest, growling angrily. To look at the Druddigon... it looked petrified all of a sudden and made no attempt to escape until she released the pressure on his body. It fled as fast as it arrived, allowing us to get out of the area ASAP; after all, we really didn't want to get into brawls with the locals...

"You can put your cape back on now Hax; you won't keep hitting Curtis in the face anymore." I laughed, as she gave me the bundle of fabric. Gently placing it against her back, I wrapped my arms around her front to tie it up, but she pulled on my hands, keeping me in a hugging position. Chuckling, I just went with it and kissed her on the neck before finishing up.

"Alright men; we'd better get moving. Castelia is just beyond Nimbasa Cit—"

"After going through a fucking desert, sir." One of the squad shouted, interrupting me.

Sighing at the comment, I simply stood up and walked off before shouting behind me, "Yes; after the tiny desert you big pussy."

Sure we had our laughs out in the field, but the past few days were wearing on me somewhat. After all, I was still dealing with whatever injury I'd sustained in my fight with the militia the day before PLUS the crash.

Making our way through the deserted tourist section of the city, past the amusement park and musical house, we reached the desert opening. Looking out the glass doors of the pass gate, the sand was only blowing around ankle height giving proof that the wind was pretty low in the area. Perfect.

"Alright guys; the sand won't be much of a problem out here, but just make sure you keep your helmets on and your weapons ready. We don't know what the hell's living out here so stay on your guard... and Haxorus?" I said, turning to face my dragon, "Stay away from Curtis, please?"

Her response was a simple scowl, before holding the torn edge of her cape up to her nose and mouth, to block the sand from being inhaled. Ignoring her facial expression, I opened the door and stepped onto the soft sand; part of my boot being swallowed by grains of it near instantly.

"Move quickly and keep at it; this place won't take kindly to us and the weight of our gear."

As we moved through the wasteland, the remnants of a suspended housing project along the stretch of it, we tried to get to beneath the bridge before making a sprint to the other pass gate; leading to Castelia City.

As we entered the war torn metropolis, night time approaching fast, we managed to pick the lock on a nearby hotel complex, just past the park with the fountain (which, for reference, would be where the three break dancing trainers would be in the video game), and steal two key-cards from behind the reception counter. The building itself was one of the few places to not have been affected by what went on within the city centre... miraculous really.

Upon entering the corridor, rooms on both sides of the hall, we unlocked the appropriate doors and set our equipment down on the beds. The rooms themselves were great; they were extravagantly decorated, big, fancy lamps and light fixtures, purple and cream walls with a giant, comfy bed and bed sheets of the same colour. They were so big; they had a separate living room with a large, black, plasma screen on the wall and a huge, red leather three-seat sofa... it's just a shame we were visiting on such... 'bad' terms.

"Right; you can have the bed to yourself, if you want, Hax. I don't mind really." I pointed, as she followed me inside the room, almost timidly.

As she walked past me, the six foot dragon closed the door with her tail and stood in front of me, placing her little red claws on the sides of my helmet before gently removing it and tossing it on the bed. Bumping her nose against mine, I chuckled to myself, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling them close.

"We gonna try again, huh? After the interruption earlier?"

She smiled slightly, before cocking her head to the side and leaning in to gently kiss me on the nose. Sliding my hands down her sides, along her back, she began to growl quietly to herself before leaning in again; parting her lips a little more than the last time. She tasted just as sweet as I remember, as she passionately pressed against my body; mumbling something in between kisses.

Pulling away, I edged her towards the foot of the bed before sitting down, pulling her down on top of me as I did so; her tail wagging playfully from side to side. She smiled wildly; her teeth visible, as she continued to growl in anticipation. Gently nuzzling the tip of her nose, her warm breath blowing against my face, I tickled her sides before gently sliding my hands along the sides of her body, trailing my fingers against her armoured hide and soft grey flesh.

Sensing an opportunity, Haxorus used her big tail to flick her cape over us, her blades nearly piercing through, in order to block the light from outside as she leant in and passionately pressed her lips against mine and quietly moaned to herself...

Some Time Later...

"Don't even think about that shit; you fucking know that wasn't my fault! We did what we could to find somewhere and they just _happened_ to find us; so don't pull that shit!"

"S-sir... I don't mean to... interrupt, but... don't be too harsh on 'em. They have the right to be flustered."

"Not to fucking blame me, to my face nonetheless, she doesn't."

"Sir... we're all tired and worn down... just calm down."

There was a quiet grunt before a silence fell upon the group...

"I don't want to talk about it, man... let's just get the fuck out of here; we can hijack a vehicle that'll fit four men and some gear."

"Don't you mean four men and a-"

"I meant what I said."

"...Sir."

After our... 'problems', the squad and I (followed by a rather... disgruntled dragon that trudged a good few meters behind us) made tracks as fast as we could into the bowels of the city; the lack of streetlights aiding in our stealth attempt as we checked a variety of vehicles, ranging from the Poké-equivalent of a Land Rover to armoured trucks. We stayed away from bigger vehicles, like lorries, because we didn't want to be too big of a target when on the road since, as far as we could tell, we'd be the only things driving and the last thing we want is to have a chopper taking pot shots at tanker.

Eventually, Willow came across a people carrier and had already started hotwiring the ignition by the time we'd loaded our stuff into the back. Haxorus simply leant against a ruined building, moping to herself, as we got on with it.

"Lucas... there's plenty of room in the car; can't you just let them—"

I held my hand up to them before they even started the next word, making them flinch slightly.

Sighing to myself, I lowered my hand and looked into my squad mate's visor, "No offence, Curtis, but... what I do to and with my team is up to me. If I don't want her to sit with me in the car... she won't. I don't really care if she disagrees with me; it's tough shit."

Curtis simply stared back for a moment, quickly glancing over at the angry dragon, before looking back at me. Sighing; he just nodded and climbed into the passenger seat, charging his weapon's chamber.

Grabbing the special Pokéball from my beltline, I pressed the button to enlarge the capsule before activating the beam and pointing it at Haxorus, grunting.

As she saw the beam flash against her body, she looked up at me and tipped her head. Her expression didn't seem... angry anymore... I couldn't really make it out, but I didn't really care much at the time; I just thought she deserved it.

"Alright guys; make sure your weapons are loaded and the windows are kept up till we need to." I ordered, climbing into the vehicle as the engine ticked over.

I never got a reply; just... stares that confirmed what I said.

Pulling away from the kerb, flicking my helmet's night cam on, I tried to avoid using the headlights as much as I could for the entire journey.

As we left the city; not a single soul to be seen, even after earlier... events, I turned the vehicle into a slip road and onto the main highway; not a single question about why I was taking such an obvious route was brought up. In fact, no one had said a word at all since we got in the car. In an attempt to 'lighten the mood' I grabbed a random CD from the dashboard and shoved it into the player; the sound of 'Free Bird' ironically began to blare through the speakers. Turning it down, I looked in the rear view mirror to see Nade and Willow staring back at me.

"Classics, huh? They never get old." I said, trying to start a conversation. I couldn't help but wonder why there was such a bad atmosphere all of a sudden; I hadn't done anything wrong...

"Guess not Colonel. Just don't have it too loud, at least." One of them said, leaving it at that.

As we approached Nacrene City, the silence was broken again; a good two hours after any of us last spoke.

"Uhh... does anyone else hear... hear a noise? Sounds like a 'whirr'. Turn the music off a minute Sir." Curtis said, taking his helmet off; revealing his short, stubbly beard.

Muting the song, I gently wound my window down to see if I could hear what he was on about.

"Yeah, yeah; it's getting louder, I swear." He continued, as I leaned my head closer to the door.

Sure enough, there was a faint noise... like it was in the distance. Keeping my window down, and my helmet off, I continued to listen as the whirring sound began to get louder and louder.

"That ain't something in the car, Sir..." Nade said, lifting his rifle to his chest, winding his window down.

Pressing down on the accelerator like I had a lead foot, the vehicle began to hit close to 100 mph, as the men leant out their windows, trying to see if they could catch a glimpse of what it was.

Suddenly, a bright light shone on the car; causing the surrounding area to illuminate.

"It's a fucking chopper! Lay down some fire on it; I'll try and lose 'em!" I shouted, the noise of gunfire raining down from the helicopter above, peppering the concrete around us.

Swerving the carrier onto the nearest off-ramp as, what sounded like, a mini-gun span up, I yanked on the handbrake in an attempt to bank around the next corner. Looking in the rear view mirror, I noticed something gaining from behind; a couple of bright lights bearing down on us.

"Looks like we've got more company; forget the chopper, we're not gonna take it down like this! Focus fire on whatever's chasing us on the road behind!" I shouted, smashing through a set of fence posts, leading to a large, finely cut, field; Tauros and Miltank in random areas as we sped past them; black SUV's bouncing along the bumps in the meadow behind us.

"I ain't trained for this shit!" Nade shouted, reloading his rifle, before leaning out and taking pot-shots at the enemy's windscreens, "Shit's bulletproof Sir!"

"Well aim for the fucking tires, Nade; Jesus!" I called back.

I wasn't sure how much more this family van could take, but at least it was holding a steady speed as it ploughed through a set of hedgerows as a Venipede rolled up the bonnet, landing in another bush, before scuttling off.

Yanking on the handbrake again, my squad being sucked into their seats from the force, I slammed down onto the accelerator again before smashing through a barbed wire gate; the razors scratching the glass as it let out an ear-piercing screech.

"Can't this piece of shit go any faster? They're right behind!" Curtis shouted as the front bumper caved inwards; the vehicle slamming back onto the road.

"It's a God damn people carrier, Curtis! It only goes so fucking fast; especially on a damned field full of cow shit!"

Speeding past a set of directions, bullets pinging off the steel sign, they read 'Route one: Next right; 10 miles'

"Right guys; grab something solid and hold on for your life!" I shouted, readying my grip on the handbrake for the third time in ten minutes.

"Solid? There's nothing solid about this thing!" Nade yelled as he withdrew into his seat and grabbed my headrest.

As the T-junction came closer and closer I counted down from three in my head, before using all my strength to use both brakes; the vehicle stopping ridiculously quick, the shrieking the tires made splitting through the air. The SUVs behind couldn't react quickly enough to our sudden stop and instead attempted to swerve out the way; one of which skidded into a deep, muddy, ditch as the other smashed into a nearby tree.

"Keep on, holding on boys!" I called, swiftly sticking the car in reverse pulling away, ramming into the remaining truck before skidding away, round the corner.

With the rear end aptly destroyed, along with the windshield and front bumper, we drove off into the night with just the helicopter on our tail; still persistently peppering holes in the surrounding area with its mounted mini-gun.

Continuing to change my route from the road to the fields, we eventually lasted till we reach our original drop off zone; Willow already having contacted HQ a few minutes beforehand.

"Roger that; we've been on high alert ever since that Hercules went down the other day. Glad to hear you made it out alright. We'll be there in roughly 30 minutes men; just try and hold out till then."

By the time the response was given, we'd already abandoned the car and set up in the trees nearby; the helicopter hovering directly over it.

Curtis began to take shots into the side door in the hopes that one would make contact with the gunner... till we saw a whole load more lights come bounding onto the field.

"Oh COME ON!" I shouted, grabbing me team from my belt, calling them out behind me; all of them raring to fight... except one.

"Aggron, use Earthquake on the vehicles that're inbound, Galvantula; let that chopper have a taste of electricity so Typhlosion can Flamethrower the bastards! Salamence, you take out any surviving trucks as Haxorus kills any soldiers that've bailed beforehand!" I called, as they sprang into action; my squad still laying down suppressing fire from next to me.

As I watched my team get to work I noticed something... I couldn't see the shimmer of the golden armour I was used to seeing...

"Shit..."

Turning to look behind me, I saw Haxorus sitting on the floor faffing around with her cloak; entirely disinterested in the situation we were all in.

"W-what the fuck are you doing? Help them!" I shouted as I helped my squad do what the lazy dragon was supposed to be doing; killing stragglers.

Looking back again, she just gave me a 'fuck you' gesture, snorted at me, and sat on the other side of the tree.

Utterly speechless, I focused on the task at hand, as the enemy helicopter crashed to the ground; Galvantula's Thunderbolt frying the electrical systems, before it was melted to a heap of bubbling metal and flesh. The Earth itself had torn apart as Aggron's Earthquake stopped the black trucks dead in their tracks; Salamence setting their gas tanks alight with multiple Dragon Pulses, as the unmistakable sound of a V-22 Osprey was heard in the distance.

"Keep up the fire men; get ready to make a break for it!" I shouted, dropping a magazine from my weapon and sliding in a fresh one; changing to a crouching stance.

"This is Eagle-One; we've got you covered men. Get the hell over here and let's get you out." A static filled voice called, through Willow's radio. The best thing I'd heard all day.

"Go, go, go! Get to the Osprey NOW!" I yelled, slinging my rifle over my back and calling back my team; Haxorus still not having moved from her position.

As the aftermath of the fight burned away, a few injured foes still crawling in the dirt in an attempt to get to safety, the four of us ran as fast as our legs would allow before sprinting into the seating bay of the helicopter. Throwing myself into the furthest seat along, the door screeching shut behind us as the craft took off, my muscles longing for a decent rest due to lack of sleep and nourishment; my squad feeling exactly the same.

"Looks like we got here just in time Colonel; what happened out there? Looks like you boys had a lot of guys after you."

Looking up from my dreary state, my helmet covered in filth and mist, I took a few deep breaths before replying.

"It's a long story, Sergeant. A long fucking story."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Troubled Times**

"So, Mr. Wall... where's your partner Pokémon today then? Not like her to be missing from your side."

"We had a... falling out, so she's at home today. I'm sure it'll blow over soon."

Not the usual sort of conversation I'd be having with my doctor, but it really was the first time Haxorus hadn't been with me on a visit, so I guess it's only natural they asked me about it.

"Well, I hope everything's alright between you two. You always looked so close to one another ha ha."

I smiled weakly in response, not able to muster the courage to answer properly.

"Well, anyway Mr. Wall, after checking over your chest and organs, there doesn't seem to be any major injury. It looks as though you'd taken a blow to your sternum, rupturing a small blood vessel, but all seems to be well now apart from some bruising which, as you mentioned earlier, is more than visible."

"Yeah, it was on my last... err... exercise in the forces. Was just worried something'd broken."

"Ha ha, naturally a dangerous profession even whilst training. I have full confidence in telling you that there's nothing to worry about, and that the bruising will go down within the next month. As for the burst vessel; that seems to have healed on its own very quickly which is a sign of a healthy person, so that's something you should be proud of."

Standing up, shaking my GP's hand, I thanked them and left only for her last few words linger in my mind.

The distance from the doctor's to my house is quite a while away, roughly a half-hour's walk. That gave me more than enough time to think of what to say to Haxorus in a feeble attempt to apologize for my idiotic behaviour.

Gradually lessening my pace as I approached the driveway before coming to a complete stop just outside the door, I sighed deeply. Haxorus was still angry at me, less so than she was at first but still angry nonetheless. I'm just happy that she gave up trying to sleep somewhere other than the bed like normal. The amount of times I'd wake up to find her asleep in the bathtub with nothing but her cape over her as a blanket is astounding, as is her pride. Makes sense I guess, she was always concerned about not looking silly in front of people or being made a fool of.

Fumbling with my keys, the cold winter air making my frozen hands more numbed than they already were, I manage to insert the key into the door and unlock it, the un-oiled hinges creaking loudly as I stepped inside, only to be greeted by the warmth of the central heating. Relocking the door behind me, dropping the keys on the stairs as I headed for the stairway, I thought I should at least let Haxorus know I was home. That way I could set up the scene for my apology.

"Hey Hax, I'm back from my check up at the doctor's. You want to come down for a minute; I need to tell you something important."

I stood motionless for a moment as I waited for a reply, be it a simple call to say she'd heard me or a disdained grunt... but there was no reply. Calling to her again, thinking that maybe she hadn't heard me; I climbed up a few steps.

"Hax? You upstairs?"

Still no reply. Perhaps she was asleep? Since we'd gotten back from our operation she'd usually make an angry grunt or growl when I call her so this was quite surprising.

Climbing the full flight of steps listening out for any signs of movement or breathing, I crept along the wooden flooring before leaning against the wall just outside our bedroom. The door was ajar slightly so I took the opportunity to peer through the gap in an attempt to see if she was there.

The curtains were open, light covering the room in a faint white glow as a gentle breeze caused the blinds to flutter against the window. Moving to the other side of the door to try and see the rest of the room, my suspicions were confirmed; Haxorus wasn't upstairs nor was she asleep otherwise she would have commandeered the bed whilst I was out. Gently nudging the door open, the outside air coming into contact with my face once again, I approached the open window. Parting the cream blinds slightly I noticed that the window wasn't on the safety latch and was instead open as wide as it could possibly go. Odd.

Shutting the window, I quickly darted back downstairs to check the other rooms just in case she was being obnoxious with me but I couldn't find her anywhere. After considering where she might have gone, making every attempt to wrack my brain for possibilities, I headed for the kitchen and sat down, sinking in my sear, before holding my head in my hands.

"God dammit Hax... where've you gone?"

"I'm Charlotte Holdings."

"And I'm Bruce Davis."

"Welcome to Kanto's news at six, bringing you all the up to date reports on both national and international stories, traffic and weather."

"The rebellion in Unova looks as though it's not going to give up anytime soon, the local forces are still under heavy pressure to quell the insurrectionists despite a well timed assistance operation launched by Kanto's very own Vermillion division, helping to cease the fighting in Castelia City."

"We have received reports from locals that several Kanto 'Hercules' transport planes were shot down just north of Undella Town, most of the men confirmed K.I.A. However several men were accounted as M.I.A until they managed to fight their way back to allied forces and return home just last week."

"In other news, there have been isolated reports of break-ins around Cerulean City, Saffron City and Lavender Town, seemingly heading towards the south of the Kanto region. They appear to be looking for something specific as most people haven't had anything taken from their homes as of now, but be sure to keep valuables hidden and locked away when going out for peace of mind."

"That's all the news we have for now but we'll be back later at ten."

"Now we'll be handing over to Gordon for the weather..."

My head was clouded. I was hoping Haxorus hadn't left home because she was mad at me. Surely she wouldn't though... right? I mean... I'd had her since she'd hatched and I'd trained alongside her for every step of the way. We'd become so close that we'd fallen in love with each other. Surely a simple falling out wouldn't have driven her off.

I couldn't think straight, I was worried for her even if I knew she still resented me a little but I couldn't imagine where she would have gone, there's no way she would have left to stay with any of my frie—

That was when it hit me. Sitting bolt upright in my chair, turning my head towards the front hallway, I gently shook my head in realisation.

"The window."

Practically launching out of my seat, I sprinted as fast as I could up the steps and back into our bedroom before skidding to a halt on the carpeted floor just before the window sill. Pulling aside the curtains I opened the window a little, the bitter wind outside still blowing. Inspecting the safety catch, I attempted to nudge the window a little more than it should normally go... completely bypassing the locking mechanism. Looking closer at the metal hook... it had been bent in such a way that it now lay slightly higher than the upright metal catch, but slid under the window frame like it should; the panic over finding my missing dragoness making me oblivious and careless.

Double checking the rest of the room for signs of intruders, I noticed that the inside of one of the curtains had a small, black smear on it. Gently rubbing my index finger along it proved the mark to be relatively fresh, the texture similar to that of leather when melted although not quite as sticky.

Leaning against the wall, sliding down it, I rested my head in my hands again.

"Someone's taken her."

Biting my lip gently, I looked around the room before my eyes fell on my pistol, completely untouched at the far end as it lay on my bedside table. Cold unforgiving steel. Sighing deeply to myself I scratched the back of my head before getting to my feet again; no point in sitting around sulking, what kind of response is that to someone you love suddenly going missing?

Approaching my sidearm, taking note of its reflection of the moonlight, I picked it up and examined it. The contours and edges glistening brightly off the silver coloured plates that made up the weapon. Quickly turning my attention to my drawers, I yanked them open in search for my holster before strapping it around my chest, inserting the Colt and fastening it being careful of the Pokéballs that were hanging from my waist. Grabbing a coat, my boots and as many magazines as I could fit into my secured pockets, I ran back downstairs and left the house swiftly locking it behind me.

Jogging down the road, heading to the routes north of Vermillion, I tried to repress the memories of what happened to Latias over a decade ago and all the shit that we went through getting her back only for it to end with...with her being killed. As I ran I verbally expressed my thoughts even if they were only for me to hear. It was the only thing giving me peace of mind right now.

"I'm going to find you Haxorus. I'm going to find you and bring you back. And when I do, I'm going to tell you I'm sorry."


End file.
